LWR Life Spring 2022

LWR LIFE LAKEWOOD RANCH AREA’S COMMUNITY, NATURE, STYLE SPRING 2022

Close Up

Photography club members turn images into art.

Award Winning

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Our family has lived in Lakewood Ranch for the last 20 years and we love our lives here. As Realtors, we focus all of our efforts in the Lakewood Ranch, Sarasota, and Bradenton markets, and have a rolodex of happy clients to match our longtime area expertise. Lakewood Ranch has been named the Top Master Planned Community in the country, so if you are interested in making it your home, let us be your guides.

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13623 Legends Walk Terrace Lakewood Ranch Country Club

PAT, JULIE & PATRICK WARREN

6627 The Masters Avenue Lakewood Ranch Country Club

Real Estate Advisors, REALTORS Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate

8334 Market Street, Lakewood Ranch, FL C: 941.350.7044 C: 941.350.7439 C: 941.400.4436 O: 941.907.1033

www.WarrenGroupSarasota.com Pat.Warren@CBRealty.com Julie.Warren@CBRealty.com Patrick.Warren@CBRealty.com

Renée Dedio DedioPreininger Preininger Renée 941.400.4235

reneeworks4u@gmail.com Sarasota Trust Realty Company 8131 Lakewood Main Street, Suite 201 Lakewood Ranch, FL 34202 www.sarasotatrustrealty.com

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$97,000,000 in Sold & Pending Real Estate Sales in 2021 “Thank you to all my amazing clients who have helped me achieve the #1 Ranking in Lakewood Ranch for closed sales in 2021! I am so grateful for the trust you placed in me to help buy and/or sell your home. Your support means the world to me! There is nothing more satisfying for me than to work hard on behalf of my clients to ensure their real estate transaction exceeds their expectations.”

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LWR LIFE

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L SO

5

Meet Your Lakewood Ranch Medical Group Team Primary Care and Specialty Services Primary Care

Obstetrics and Gynecology

Denise Digregorio, ARNP Nurse Practitioner

Joel Hallam, DO, FACOOG Obstetrics and Gynecology

Kelly Duggin, MD Family Medicine

Terrell W. Martin, MD Obstetrics and Gynecology

Duane Johnson, DO Family Medicine

Angie Scarpa, CNM, ARNP Nurse Midwife

Claire McGill, DO Family Medicine

General Surgery

Indu S. Menon, MD Internal Medicine

David W. Dexter, MD, FACS General Surgery

Suzette Pinto, MD Family Medicine

Alexa Kinder, MSPAP, PA-C General Surgery

Kateryna Rusin, MD, DipABLM Internal Medicine

For appointments, call 866-515-9777 or visit lakewoodranchmedicalgroup.com/appt

For language assistance, disability accommodations and the nondiscrimination notice, visit our website. 22681585-703351 2/22

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This advanced tool provides the doctor with detailed information necessary to understand the severity of disease and determine next steps for the patient, including the need for invasive treatment.

Ask your doctor if HeartFlow Analysis is the right diagnostic tool for you. If you need a cardiologist, visit lwrmc.com/findadoctor or call 941-748-2277.

*Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Physicians are on the medical staff of Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, but, with limited exceptions, are independent practitioners who are not employees or agents of Lakewood Ranch Medical Center.

The hospital shall not be liable for actions or treatments provided by physicians.

For language assistance, disability accommodations and the nondiscrimination notice, visit our website.

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CONTENTS

SPRING 2022

FEATURES

60 14

LWR LIFE

FAMILY GROWN From Earth to space, local fertilizer firm keeps environment in focus.

68

GET OUT, GET ACTIVE Looking for things to do?

Options abound around The Ranch.

78

THROUGH THE LENS Digital photography club members share their favorite shots.

Now Available L ab C r eat e d Di a mon d s | R E A L Di a mon d s LE S S Mon e y !

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DEPARTMENTS 20 FROM THE EDITOR 27 BUZZ Lakewood Ranch Businss Alliance welcomes a new chief, see what’s on the horizon for new development and how a recent merger saved the local YMCA.

44 54

40 CHARITY SNAPSHOT Lakewood Ranch Community Fund names its Humanitarians of the Year — all 657 of them.

44 CLASS ACT For this Lakewood Ranch artist, her craft has led to a life full of lessons.

48 CALENDAR As always, there’s a lot going on around The Ranch. Don’t miss a thing.

28 89

54 STYLE Tip of the hat to the unsung hero of sun protection and style.

89 HAVEN The pandemic has changed our outlooks on a lot of things — including where and how we live.

100 ART AND ABOUT From Cuban history explored through dance to a grand display of public art in the park, this season is packed with culture-rich offerings.

106 BACK AT THE RANCH Dear grandparents: We love you, but here are the rules.

114 PARTING GLANCE

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LWRLIFE

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LAKEWOOD RANCH AREA’S COMMUNITY, NATURE, STYLE President and Publisher — Emily Walsh

EDITORIAL Executive Editor and COO — Kat Hughes Managing Editor — Su Byron Design — Nicole Thompson Editor At Large — Lisa Barnott Contributors Gayle Guynup, Jess Holt, Robert Plunket, Harry Sayer, Lori Sax, Eric Snider, and Abby Weingarten

ADVERTISING Director of Advertising — Jill Raleigh Associate Publisher — Lori Ruth Advertising Managers — Kathleen O’Hara and Penny Nowicki

Colour by you.

Advertising Executives — Richeal Bair, Beth Jacobson, Jennifer Kane, Honesty Mantkowski, Toni Perren, Laura Ritter and Brenda White

CREATIVE SERVICES Director of Creative Services — Caleb Stanton Creative Services Administrator — Marjorie Holloway Graphic Designers — Louise Martin, Taylor Poe, Shawna Polana and Luis Trujillo himolla.com

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LWR LIFE

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

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5251 S. TAMIAMI TRAIL, SARASOTA, FL 34231 (1.5 MILES SOUTH OF BEE RIDGE ROAD) | 941-993-1057 LEATHERGALLERYSARASOTA.COM

To submit story ideas or calendar listings, contact Kat Hughes at KHughes@YourObserver.com.

For advertising inquiries, call 941-366-3468.

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

It’s all a matter of perspective

Jennifer Joy Walker’s “Christine at the Car Wash.”

F

or a business that eschews the use of jargon, journalism is chock-full of it. We have heds and deks, cutlines and slugs.

Not to mention folds and grafs and kickers. Come to think of it, we also like to misspell words for no apparent reason (why do we write “lede” instead of “lead”?)

When it comes to the images that accompany a story, they are simply known as “art.” Most of the time, we’re talking about photos.

In the olden days, it used to be that the highly talented, highly qualified (and accordingly temperamental)

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LWR LIFE

“photogs” were the only ones who could take pictures in a newsroom.

They lumbered around strapped with cameras and fishing vests filled with God knows what, crouched on kneepads and squinting behind massive lenses to get the perfect shot.

Nowadays, any of us schmucks with a cell phone can take a photo. But just because you wear a pair of Air Jordans doesn’t mean you can dunk.

It takes training and technique and skill to capture a special photo. To honor that talent, we’ve featured four members of the Lakewood Ranch Digital Photography Club (Page 78). This is a group of folks who have worked for

years on their craft of using the lens of a camera to freeze a moment in time.

Through activities ranging from guest speakers to photo critiques to field trips, the club helps amateurs and pros alike build their knowledge.

The featured photographers’ styles are very different, but what they share is they all offer a unique perspective on their subjects. They go deeper than capturing an image — they present a point of view that elicits feelings of wonder and whimsy and awe.

Now that’s worth calling art.

Kat Hughes Executive Editor

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A S P E CTAC U L A R V I E W

of Friendship

O

nce you see Plymouth Harbor and meet the people who call it home, you will change the way you think about your future.

You will meet active, vibrant, independent-minded people – who share a love of boating, a passion for helping others, and a natural spirit of friendship.

With the proximity to downtown Sarasota, you can just as comfortably enjoy a night out on the town as you can stay in and entertain friends. You will love the beautiful setting that looks like a first-class resort, but feels just like home. And there is always plenty to do.

Start your day with a workout in the fitness center, a soothing Tai Chi class, or a dip in the pool. Maybe you prefer the creative outlet of our woodworking shop or art studio. Join in on a game of bocce or a sit in on an educational lecture. There is so much to choose from, the possibilities are endless. And it is not just a possibility, but everyday life here at Plymouth Harbor. Enjoy a rich myriad of activities surrounded by spectacular views of Sarasota Bay. Come see for yourself – and get a new perspective on retirement living. Call us today for a tour of our award-winning campus, luxury accommodations and amenities.

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23

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BUZZ

NEWS, HAPPENINGS AND PEOPLE

Lakewood Ranch’s YMCA gains strength in numbers.

PAGE 34

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27

Brittany Lamont is in the trenches as the new CEO of the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance — and loving every minute.

Photo by Lori Sax

Down to Business Brittany Lamont, the new CEO of the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance, plans long-term growth for the organization.

BY ERIC SNIDER 28

LWR LIFE

“I

’m as homegrown as it gets,” Brittany Lamont declared in November, a few days into her tenure as the new president/CEO of the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance, a networking and advocacy organization with more than 550 member businesses in Manatee and Sarasota counties. Members range from large corporations to one-person firms.

Save for her first two years in Ohio, Lamont has lived in Bradenton all of her life. The 33-year-old attended Bayshore High School, finished Manatee Community College, then graduated from USF Sarasota-Manatee. She turned an internship at the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce into a full-time job and worked there for more than 11

years, the last five as vice president.

Lamont is married to her high school sweetheart, David Lamont, an ER nurse and also a lifelong Bradenton denizen. They have two daughters — Payton, 5, and Harper, 2 — and are expecting a son in April.

Lamont has never felt the urge to test the waters elsewhere. “If anything, I feel a gravitational pull to stay here,” she says. “I’ve always loved it here.”

She spoke to LWR Life by phone on her fourth day on the job, while taking a walk near her office in the Northern Trust Building.

How has your professional role changed from serving as a VP at the Greater Sarasota Chamber to your new position?

I worked my way through different levels of management in Sarasota and did virtually everything there is to do in a membership-based organization.

I tell my (current) team that “I have literally sat where you are.” In my new role, I’m working with our board to create a vision of what the organization is going to look like in the next five to 10 years. As Lakewood Ranch continues to grow at this pace, we expect the business alliance to grow along with it. But I’ll be in the trenches, too. We have a total staff of five. With nonprofit membership organizations, everyone is in the trenches.

Continued on Page 30

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Continued from Page 28 What is the top priority for your first few months on the job?

I’m going to meet with the members to find out what they’re looking for. After that, I’ll be able to better describe to you what our next steps will be. I don’t expect much in the way of major changes in 2022. I’ll be listening to members, looking at membership structure, looking at benefit offerings. In 2023, we’ll be rolling out some new ideas and programs.

Overall, what would you say is the most important long-term task you face?

A huge concern is membership.

Nothing happens without membership.

Without that and investment, we don’t exist. I don’t like the word “dues.” I prefer investment. We’re not dealing with kittens and puppies. We’re not asking people to donate for a cause. Members are expecting ROI, and we have to provide it. We have to make sure we create opportunities and benefits. We have to keep the members engaged. And then there’s retention. We can bring in new members all day long, but we won’t get traction if we don’t retain them.

The business alliance is partly a networking organization. The pandemic must have changed the way the business people interact. How have you experienced that?

Before the pandemic, those of us in membership-based groups were hesitant to jump into virtual programming, but the pandemic forced us into it. And virtual is not going away. But people are itching to get back to in-person connections. I think it may end up that our networking is done more in person and the virtual is more content- and education-based.

You’re also an advocacy organization.

Can you give me an example?

Sure. Our support of extending the million-dollar property tax referendum.

Residents in Sarasota and Manatee counties voted to tax themselves, and the money goes to local schools. The business alliance, along with other organizations in the region, came out in support of the measure. Why do we care about something like that? When we try to bring businesses into the region, one of the first questions they’re going to ask is, “How’s your school system?”

How did you find your way into membership-based business organizations?

Growing up, I had a friend whose mom was named Debbie Heckert.

She worked at the Manatee Chamber of Commerce. When Andrea and I were around 10 years old, she’d take us into the office, and we’d stuff bags for their events. Unfortunately, Debbie passed away awhile ago from colon cancer. When I was in college getting a communications/marketing degree, I just assumed I would go to work in the corporate world. One day in class, someone from the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce came and said they had this internship — was anybody interested? I was the only one who raised my hand. I interned there as a communications person, and eventually joined the chamber full time. I figured I wanted to go into marketing, but instead of marketing one business, I could market hundreds of businesses in a membership-based organization. I fell in love with it. After I got the job, Debbie’s husband, Jim, wrote me and said, “Debbie would be so proud of you.” That means more to me than anything.

I wanted to go into marketing, but instead of marketing one business, I could market hundreds of businesses in a membershipbased organization.”

For more information, visit LWRBA.org.

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Scan the QR Code for all listings

of tremendous housing growth. Several new residential developments are on their way to the area, ranging from single-family homes to townhomes to much-needed rental housing. Here’s a quick glance at a few of the for sale and rental communities coming up.

BY SCOTT LOCKWOOD

1. STAR FARMS

The basics: A 700-acre multigenerational lifestyle community with 1,500 homes, villas and townhomes.

What’s special: Amenities will include a club, fitness center, resortstyle pool, dog park and event lawn and trails.

Where is it now: Phase 1 includes 300 single-family homes, townhomes and paired villas ranging from 1,500 to more than 4,000 square feet. D.R. Horton has started construction and model homes are estimated to be open this spring.

Contact: StarFarmsLWR.com.

2. SWEETWATER

The basics: A 223-acre development featuring 500 single-family homes and maintenance-free paired villas.

What’s special: The community offers resort-style amenities, including a pool, clubhouse, playground, Sports Courts, a pump track, fitness studio and more.

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LWR LIFE

Where is it now: Sales reservations and models will open in mid-March.

Contact: MiHomes.com

3. NAUTIQUE AT WATERSIDE

The basics: 164 townhomes and 52 single-family homes, from 1,700 to 2,400 square feet and featuring rearload garages and courtyards.

What’s special: Amenities include trails to Waterside Place, a community pool and cabana.

Where is it now: Sites are under development and will open in the fall.

Contact: Sign up at LWRWaterside. com for announcements.

4. SHOREVIEW AT WATERSIDE

The basics: 54 water and preserve sites as part of its new Kingfisher phase. A total of 31 of the home sites will have long southerly views overlooking Kingfisher Lake, while the other 23 will have private wooded preserve views.

What’s special: Additional amenities

5. LAKEHOUSE COVE AT WATERSIDE

The basics: A new phase of 235 single-family homes surrounded by lakes and offering water or preserve views.

What’s special: Additional walking trails and pickleball courts that will complement the existing lakehouse, boathouse, fitness center and resortstyle pool.

Where is it now: Currently selling; lots in the new phase are available as soon as March.

Contact: LakewoodRanch.com/ourvillages/waterside-lakehousecove

6. THE ROW AT WATERSIDE

The basics: 301 multi-story apartments with views of Kingfisher Lake.

One-, two-and three bedroom floorplans will be available.

What’s special: Resort-style pool, fitness center and social lounges.

Where is it now: Under construction with plans to open for leasing this summer.

Contact: TheRowWaterside.com

7. AVALON WOODS

The basics: 339 townhomes and single-family homes for sale.

What’s special: Residents are the center of it all and will have access to a playground.

Where it is now: Scheduled to open in fall 2022.

Contact: Coming soon.

8. ARTESIA

The basics: 215 horizontal one- and two-bedroom, single-story bungalow rentals with front porches and fencedin backyards featuring built-in dog doors.

What’s special: Large windows let in more natural light than a typical apartment, and 10-foot interior ceilings. The community also features a

LOCKWOOD RDIGE RD.

Lakewood Ranch is expecting another year

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Coming Right Up

will include a 10-foot-wide walking trail planned to give residents the ability to walk or bike to Waterside Place.

Where is it now: Currently selling; lots in the new phase will be released this spring.

Contact: LakewoodRanch.com/ourvillages/waterside-shoreview/

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The basics: 304 rental units in two-story buildings. First-floor units will have private, fencedin backyards, and all units have private entrances.

What’s special: Heated saltwater pool, 24-hour fitness center, clubroom with kitchenette and game tables, barbecue stations and a large pond.

Where is it now: Construction starts in February, with the first units available in the fall.

Contact: More information available soon.

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The basics: 192 three- and fourbedroom, single-family detached rental homes with attached twocar garages.

What’s special: A resort-style pool and a dog park. Schools and The Green’s shopping and dining can be found nearby.

Where is it now: Currently under construction with leasing operations to begin in May.

Main Street

U NI The Mall at University Town Center

V ERSITY PKWY.

The basics: 300 multi-story apartments with one-, two-and three bedroom floorplans.

What’s special: Salt-water pool, game room and clubhouse.

Where is it now: Under construction with plans to open this summer.

Contact: OasisAtManateeRiver. com

4 Waterside Place

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Sarasota Polo Club

Nathan Benderson Park

heated saltwater pool, 24-hour fitness center, clubroom, barbecue stations and a large dog park.

Where is it now: Now leasing and available to move in.

Contact: ArtesiaLakewoodRanch.com.

KEY Rentals For sale

FRUITVILLE RD.

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Shannon Matthews, senior vice president of operations and innovation, and Jamie Browning, vice president of development for Southwest Florida YMCA

Working It Out The struggling Manatee Family YMCA is now under the umbrella of the larger YMCA of Southwest Florida.

BY ERIC SNIDER

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s of Jan. 1, the Manatee County Family YMCA can breathe easier. That’s because the financially strapped organization, which includes fitness centers in Lakewood Ranch and Bradenton, officially became part of the much stronger YMCA of Southwest Florida. With

the addition of the new northern locations, the organization encompasses eight fitness centers, four early learning academies and two charter middle schools. A management agreement between the two institutions that began in April 2021 led to the unanimous vote of both boards of directors to enter into a full merger.

Manatee Y members will experience “a smooth transition,” says Jamie Browning, vice president of development for the Southwest Florida YMCA. “We’ll be adding enhanced programming and increased youth

Photo by Lori Sax

opportunities, as well as a stronger outreach effort. Our Y has been a fiscally sound, strong organization and served our community for decades.

With Manatee, we will be stronger together and able to serve more people.”

Over its 177-year history, the YMCA has always been more than a place to work out, and that’s what sets it apart from the commercial gyms that dot street corners and strip malls. Most Y branches form a strong personal bond with their members and provide far more than exercise machines and personal trainers. Whether it’s 6-yearolds gamely shooting layups on a low rim while parents cheer them or octogenarians staying limber in Silver Sneakers classes, a healthy Y adds wide-ranging value to a community.

Continued on Page 36

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Continued from Page 34 That certainly has been the case in Lakewood Ranch and Bradenton, and shutting down either or both facilities would have dealt a significant blow to their communities.

While there is no readily apparent evidence that the two Manatee centers were in danger of permanently closing, they clearly needed a lifeline. According to the East County Observer, in the summer of 2019 the organization had endured a 15% drop in membership, which caused job cuts and salary reductions for remaining staffers. With a significantly smaller operating budget, the Manatee Y began to right the ship, but the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic scuttled the recovery. Membership plummeted 50% when the Y closed its two facilities from March 16 to May in 2020. The Parrish branch shuttered permanently in April of that year.

The Manatee Y limped along for the next few months, subject to the ebbs, flows and surges of the pandemic.

“Manatee had a leadership change, and my understanding is that the new leadership reached out to the (Florida State Alliance of YMCAs), and that group connected them to us,” says Shannon Matthews, senior vice president of operations and innovation for the YMCA of Southwest Florida.

The Manatee Family YMCA is now part of a formidable operation whose current reach ranges from Bradenton to Bonita Springs, 130 miles to the south. Its origins date to 1967, with the opening of the Venice YMCA, which continues to house the corporate headquarters. In the early ’90s, Englewood came into the fold, followed by Fort Myers in 2011, then Bonita Springs, Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda.

The Southwest Florida YMCA’s service area also includes Sarasota, which saw its two fitness centers close in 2019 due largely to increased competition from private-sector operators such as LA Fitness, Crunch and Planet Fitness. “We are looking for space in Sarasota,” says Matthews, while adding that a brick-and-mortar Y in the city is not imminent.

The Bradenton Y opened in 1977, and Lakewood Ranch started a satellite branch in 2003, thanks to a property donation by the developer, Schroeder-Manatee Ranch. In 2011, the facility underwent a major expan-

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Clockwise, from top: East County's Meghan Rumbaugh participates in a group exercise class in May 2020. YMCA interior. Manatee County Family YMCA.

sion that included a new fitness center, arts studio, cycling room and childcare room. Prior to March 2020, the Lakewood Ranch branch had 2,859 members, according to the Observer, while the Bradenton Y had 1,640. Browning says that the Manatee Family YMCA currently has around 3,000 membership units, which consist of families, couples, youths and individuals.

Both Matthews and Browning say that fixating on YMCA buildings misses the larger point. “The YMCA is more than a gym,” Browning asserts. “That’s what makes us stand apart from other fitness centers. We service everyone from children less than a year old to adults in their senior years. The Y is about youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.”

The YMCA is more than a gym. That’s what makes us stand apart from other fitness centers. The Y is about youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.”

— JAMIE BROWNING, VICE PRESIDENT OF DEVELOPMENT FOR THE SOUTHWEST FLORIDA YMCA

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THE HEART OF THE COMMUNITY

For this teacher, art is a lifelong lesson.

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charity snapshot

Two Decades of Giving The Lakewood Ranch Community Fund, founded

by John Clarke in the community’s early days, enters a new chapter.

BY ERIC SNIDER

A

s COVID-19 ravaged the world in 2020, the board of advisers of the Lakewood Ranch Community Fund recognized it was their duty to step up and step in — with money. During typical prior years, the 20-year-old charitable organization handed out $60,000 to $90,000 in grants to an eclectic roster of local nonprofits that served the greater Lakewood Ranch community.

Then suddenly, “the whole world was upside down,” says David Fink, the volunteer board’s president. “We understood early on that the local nonprofits were in a really tough spot.

Their revenue was disappearing, and there were no donors. At the same time, the need for their services was skyrocketing, and their expenses were up. Their whole world was falling off a cliff. So, the board came together and coordinated a special grant of $75,000 that focused solely on Covid relief.”

Grants included $13,000 to the Suncoast Communities Blood Bank, which needed specially outfitted vans to collect blood donations at people’s homes; $10,000 to the Manatee Family YMCA, which was providing childcare services for workers on the front Continued on Page 42

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Photos by Lori Sax

Board President David Fink and board member Bryan Boudreaux are part of the team that facilitates the Lakewood Ranch Community Fund’s philanthropic giving.

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Continued from Page 40 lines of the pandemic; and $10,000 to Tidewell Hospice, which was developing a platform for people to have virtual visits with family members in their final time of life.

Later in the year, the organization gave an additional $8,150 to the YMCA and $5,000 to Tidewell.

In all, the community fund awarded $165,000 to 33 nonprofits in 2020 — its largest amount ever.

As the world began to stabilize in 2021, the community fund resumed its normal once-a-year giving cycle, granting $60,000 to 17 charities. But it did not forget the workers who’d spent so many months in the pandemic trenches. Rather than award its Humanitarian of the Year to an individual, as was the case every year since the event’s debut in 2005, the board chose 657 people — the entire staff at the Lakewood Ranch Medical Center.

“These are folks who had to go to battle every day in high-stress situations,” says Bryan Boudreaux, a board member who chaired the award committee. “And their own personal lives were deeply touched by it. The hospital provided excellent care during that time, and for that reason the board chose the Lakewood Ranch Medical Center Health Care Heroes for the award.”

In September 2000, with the Y2K scare proven a paper tiger, 9/11 unimaginable and the Great Recession years off, John Clarke established the Lakewood Ranch Community Fund.

As the CEO of Schroeder-Manatee Ranch, the company developing the master-planned community on 33,000 acres of pasture land in eastern Manatee and Sarasota counties, Clarke felt the ambitious project required a charitable component.

“He understood early on that a community needs a heart and soul, and he founded the fund to contribute to that,” Fink says.

At the time, Lakewood Ranch was a fledgling community, with 2,000 of its projected 40,000 homes occupied, so most of the donations came from corporations and local businesses. The nonprofit’s primary fundraiser was a yearly gala. Over time, as Lakewood Ranch became one of America’s fast-

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est-growing (communities), the emphasis shifted to “more of a focus on raising money from people who live here,” Fink says.

That said, he allows that the Lakewood Ranch Community Fund is by no means a household name among residents, especially younger people and newcomers. Part of the board’s job is to raise awareness of the organization and its good works. “Some people write a check every year, and others are more comfortable giving a little bit each month,” Fink says.

“When the community is built out, if 5% of our 40,000 rooftops give 120 bucks a year, that comes to quite a substantial amount.”

Fink cites these modest figures purposefully: to remind less affluent residents of a charitable opportunity and to dispel the notion that things are all hunky dory in Lakewood Ranch. “People see the big homes and nice cars and figure, ‘How can there be any need?’” he says. “But this year we received applications from 35 organizations asking to fund aid for autism, for epilepsy, to fight hunger, to provide horse-riding therapy — all sorts of things.”

Adds Boudreaux: “You can’t have this beautiful community without the people behind the scenes who support it. The daycare providers, the landscapers, the restaurant workers — these are some of the people who are fueling the underlying need.”

The community fund, which has amassed an endowment of roughly $1.5 million, earned 501(c)(3) nonprofit status early last year. It now operates as an independent charity after two decades under the umbrella of the much-larger Manatee Community Foundation. In the next few months, the board plans to hire someone full time to run the organization day to day.

As for the annual gala, it’s unlikely to return, even after the fog of Covid lifts. “It was a great party for many years,” Fink says. “But it ceased being a robust fundraiser. One of our board members, who’s lived here for 20 years, once said he thought it was just for rich people. When we do get back to putting on events — it probably won’t be until early ’23 — we want to make them accessible to the whole community.”

You can’t have this beautiful community without the people behind the scenes who support it. The daycare providers, the landscapers, the restaurant workers — these are some of the people who are fueling the underlying need.”

— BRYAN BOUDREAUX, ABOVE RIGHT

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Lakewood Ranch resident Liz Cole has been immersed in arts and art education throughout her career.

Sharing the Joy of Learning in the Arts A talented artist developed an early childhood program for the Toledo Museum of Art, which remains a cornerstone of the museum’s education division.

BY GAYLE GUYNUP 44

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L

akewood Ranch resident Liz Cole has been immersed in arts and art education throughout her career. Now retired, the talented artist is not sitting back and watching life go by. In fact, she recently was busy preparing for her upcoming exhibition, “Painted Words,” at Art Uptown Gallery. But more about that later.

Cole is a Midwestern girl at heart, raised in Toledo, Ohio. “Basically, if I

took a snapshot of my childhood, it would look a lot like the ‘Happy Days’ portrayed on television,” she says.

“My mom was a stay-at-home mom, my dad worked for a car dealership, and I had one sister. It all seems very unextraordinary, but it was extraordinary in that it was such a wholesome way to grow up.”

It was Cole’s third-grade teacher Continued on Page 46

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Continued from Page 44 who piqued her interest in art when she nominated her to be part of the Toledo Museum of Art Saturday program. “Every Saturday I spent the day at the museum. After class, I would wander through the different galleries, especially the impressionist gallery, and sit for hours in front of Monet’s paintings. I loved his colors and the kind of magic he captured in his landscapes. That probably began my journey toward becoming a painter.”

Cole earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Ohio University, where she majored in painting. “I ended up on a dual track and was able to get my art education degree as well, so I could get a job when I graduated.”

Also while at Ohio University, Cole and her future husband, Gary, became college sweethearts. The couple recently celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary.

After graduating, Cole taught high school for five years, but when she had their daughter, Marci, she decided to spend two years as a stay-at-home mom, and then go back to school. Cole ultimately earned both her master’s in education and doctorate at the University of Toledo.

About this time, their daughter was starting to pick up a pencil and would leave her “artwork” on the furniture and walls. “Watching Marci, I learned there is a visual vocabulary that we develop as young children. That piqued my interest in the artistic development of young children, which became the topic of my dissertation. In fact, I developed a program for the Toledo Museum of Art with the goal of establishing and expanding the visual literacy of children.” The early childhood program Cole developed for the museum in 1978 remains a cornerstone of the museum’s education division today.

Once Cole earned her Ph.D., it was serendipitous that a part-time position opened in the art department at the University of Toledo. “I began as a professor and then was tapped to be chair of the art department. When studio space became an issue, the decision was made to stay on the museum campus. A search committee was told to find a rising architect who could design an addition to the building that would be complementary to the exist-

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ing museum but would also be reflective of the aesthetics of the day. The one name that kept rising to top was Frank Gehry, who was a rising star at that time. And that’s who we selected.”

Cole tells the story of how, early in the process, Gehry showed her a drawing of the proposed building that he scribbled on a napkin. “He told me: ‘This is what it should look like,’” she says, laughing as she remembers how the selection committee reacted to the drawing. “I think the air was sucked out of the room when I told them this was what the building was going to look like. Of course, once we overcame all the objections, the design was absolutely brilliant.”

Cole stayed at the University of Toledo for 22 years. When Bowling Green State University opened an associate dean’s position in its College of Arts and Sciences, with an emphasis on working in the arts, she jumped at the chance and was hired. Through her leadership, the Ohio Board of Regents approved a master’s degree in art education for Bowling Green. In addition, she worked on teacher education reform, for which her team received a $4.2 million grant from the Department of Education. Cole retired after six years in 2005 and today holds the position of professor emeritus.

One of the factors that influenced how Cole taught and saw herself as an art educator and an artist came about in 1987 when she took her sabbatical and began working with art educator Pauline Vincent in the United Kingdom. “I collaborated with Pauline for 10 years on various projects that we could do with children. For many years, I would spend July with her, working in inner-city schools. This experience changed my whole teaching style, with a focus on creating a joy of learning in the classroom.”

Cole was familiar with Sarasota because her husband’s parents had lived here for 22 years before they passed.

One thing she liked was how important the arts were to the community. “I like to say that the west coast has silk and sandals. It has elegant things to do — or you can wear flip-flops and go to the beach and enjoy a sunset. I knew I didn’t want to stay in the gloomy, cold Midwest after retirement. Eventually, we bought a home in Lakewood Ranch.”

Liz Cole shares a studio with two other artists. She says that painting is vital to her life.

I would wander through the different galleries, especially the impressionist gallery, and sit for hours in front of Monet’s paintings. I loved his colors and the kind of magic he captured in his landscapes. That probably began my journey toward becoming a painter.”

Her husband watched as Cole’s paintings took over the walls of their new home. “So, at his suggestion, I now have a studio that I share with two other artists,” says Cole. “One is Jill Krasner, who was instrumental in giving me confidence to get serious about my painting. It was Jill who introduced me to Art Uptown Gallery.”

What’s in her future?

“I plan to keep painting. After all, if Monet could lie in bed and paint, I can certainly keep going. Painting for me is a gift, but you have to keep working at that gift. Painting is intellectual; it’s creative; it’s all the things that keep us vital. That’s why I treasure it so very much.”

IF YOU GO Liz Cole’s exhibit at Art Uptown, “Painted Words,” features acrylic and collage works on paper.

Each piece includes a story inviting the viewer to interpret it. The exhibit runs Feb. 28-March 4, with a reception from 6 to 9 p.m. on March 4, at 1367 Main St., Sarasota; ArtUptown. com.

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calendar spring 2022 MARCH MARCH 2 RANCH NITE WEDNESDAYS This midweek community Ranch Nite event features food trucks, cornhole, live music and cocktails from 6-9 p.m. at Waterside Place, 1561 Lakefront Drive, Sarasota. Continues every Wednesday through May. n Visit LakewoodRanch.com.

CLASSIC CAR SHOW Come to Lakewood Ranch Main Street from 5-8 p.m. for a car show celebrating the “classics.” All are welcome to participate for just $10 per vehicle, and there are no restrictions on year, make or model. Continues April 6 and May 4. n Visit CollectorCarsTV.com.

MARCH 4 MUSIC ON MAIN This monthly event returns on Lakewood Ranch’s Main Street from 6-9 p.m. Enjoy a free concert, food vendors, beer trucks and activities for kids. Continues April 1 and May 6. n Visit LakewoodRanch.com.

MARCH 5 GUIDE DOG WALKATHON Enjoy a day out with your pooch at Nathan Benderson Park, 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle, Sarasota, for Southeastern Guide Dogs’ biggest fundraiser of the year. Two- and fourlegged friends and neighbors are invited to participate and raise funds for a 3K walk. The Waggin’ Tails Festival includes live music, food, vendors, live music and a raffle, with the drawing at noon. n Visit GuideDogsWalkathon.org.

NBP REC DAYS Runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Nathan Benderson Park, 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle, Sarasota. The public is invited to visit Nathan Benderson Park on NBP Rec Day and experience paddleboarding, kayaking, canoes and fishing. Rides on a 15-foot sailboat will also be available. The event costs $10 for ages 7-18. Parents who attend with

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their children are free. Anyone age 16 and older who goes fishing needs a freshwater fishing license. Event continues March 9 and 23; April 6, 20 and 30; and May 4 and 18. n Visit NathanBendersonPark.org/ programs/#nbprecdays.

MARCH 6 YOGA IN THE PARK Join a gentle yoga session from 10-11 a.m. at Waterside Park, 7301 Island Cove Terrace, Sarasota. Continues every Sunday. n Visit LakewoodRanch.com.

Continued on Page 50

File photos

Deborah and Mike Decker, of the New World Celts of Sarasota, dress to the theme at the 2019 Irish Celtic Festival.

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TIDEWELL FOUNDATION

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Tidewell Foundation is grateful to our sustaining annual corporate partners for their ongoing sponsorship of the Foundation’s mission.

Partners in Excellence: Partners in Compassion:

373235-1

Grief is a form of love. Together with Tidewell Hospice, we’re improving patients’ well-being with expressive arts, pet care, and music therapy. We also provide free grief services to our community, including children who have lost a loved one. Because like love, care is a continuum, and your generosity makes it possible.

Continued from Page 48 THE MARKET Far from the typical farmers market, The Market at Lakewood Ranch is a curated gathering of the best flavors in the region, cooking demonstrations and more. Visitors can purchase produce, meat, poultry, seafood, breads, pasta and other prepared foods from more than 90 vendors from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Waterside Place, 1561 Lakefront Drive, Sarasota. Event runs every Sunday. n Visit TheMarketLWR.com.

SARASOTA POLO Enjoy an afternoon of tailgating and polo. Gates open at 10 a.m., and matches start at 1 p.m. at the Sarasota Polo Club, 8201 Polo Club Lane, Lakewood Ranch. General admission costs $15 for adults, and children 12 and under are free. Polo matches will be held every Sunday through April 24. n Visit SarasotaPolo.com.

MARCH 8 WALKING GROUP The Lakewood Ranch Parks team leads a casual walk from 9-10 a.m. around Bob Gardner Park. The walk begins from Bob Gardner Community Park’s east picnic pavilion. Advance registration required. n Visit MyLWR.com.

MARCH 10 LWR 101: RESIDENT ORIENTATION New to the area or just want to get more involved? Join this resident orientation virtually at Facebook.com/ LWRCommunityActivities. It’s a great chance to learn about the community.

Begins at 6 p.m. and continues April 14 and May 12. n Visit MyLWR.com.

MARCH 12 SARASOTA-BRADENTON TRIATHLON Nathan Benderson Park, 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle, Sarasota, hosts a weekend of triathlons. Races include ​ the Elite (Pro) Draft Legal Triathlon, Junior Elite Draft Legal Triathlon and Youth Elite Draft Legal Triathlon on Saturday and the Elite Paratriathlon and Age Group Draft Legal Triathlon with a team relay on Sunday. Registration is $110. n Visit SRQTriFest.com.

NATURE WALK Join Lakewood Ranch Ambassador Greg Spring for a 2-mile, one-hour nature walk through some of Lakewood Ranch’s trails. Participants will meet at 8 a.m. at the pavilion at Greenbrook Adventure Park, 13010 Adventure Place, Lakewood Ranch. n Visit LakewoodRanch.com.

FINE ART FESTIVAL Runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 12 and 13 at Main Street at Lakewood Ranch. Shop an outdoor gallery of handmade fine arts and crafts as the Lakewood Ranch Winter Fine Art Festival returns for its annual event.

Admission is free. n Visit ParagonArtEvents.com.

IRISH CELTIC FESTIVAL For those of Irish Celtic descent or those who just want to be Irish for the day, this event features the luck of the Irish with traditional food, craft beers, hard ciders, live music and dance performances from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Greenbrook Adventure Park, 13010 Adventure Place, Bradenton. For the lads and lasses, there’s a relay race, and for the kids, there is a “Pot of Gold” scavenger hunt, face-painting, spud-head decorating and more.

Admission is $5 for residents and $20 for nonresidents. n Visit LWRCAC.com.

MARCH 13-19 SARASOTA JAZZ FESTIVAL The Jazz Club of Sarasota’s weeklong festival returns at Nathan Benderson Park, 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle, Sarasota. The festival kicks off with free Jazz in the Park events from 3-6:30 p.m. March 13. Featured performers throughout the week include Houston Person, Shelly Berg, Dick Hyman, Catherine Russell and La Lucha Trio. Ticket prices vary by event. n Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.

MARCH 16 PURIM MASQUERADE PARTY Celebrate Purim with Chabad of Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch at a masquerade party starting at 8 p.m. at the Chabad House, 5712 Lorraine Road, Lakewood Ranch. Enjoy Megillah readings, drinks, music and a masquerade. Admission is free. n Visit ChabadOfBradenton.com.

MARCH 17 SUNSET POLO HAPPY HOUR Enjoy an evening of tailgating and polo at Sarasota Polo Club, 8201 Polo Club Lane, Lakewood Ranch. Gates open at 5 p.m., and the match begins at 5:30 p.m. General admission costs $15 for adults, and children 12 and under are free. Runs Thursdays through April 21. n Visit SarasotaPolo.com.

Continued on Page 52

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Bobo the dog hitched a ride on the back of her owner, Ken Harpley of Palmetto, at a Ranch Nite in January.

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Continued from Page 50 PURIM IN INDIA Purim celebrations continue at Chabad of Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch with Indian entertainment, a henna artist, music, and Indian dinner and comedy with the rabbi. The event begins at 6 p.m. at the Chabad tent, 5712 Lorraine Road, Lakewood Ranch.

Prepaid admission is $18 for adults and $12 for children; admission at the door is $25 for adults and $18 for children; CHS students are free. n Visit ChabadOfBradenton.com.

MARCH 19 BIKE RIDE Join Lakewood Ranch Ambassador Greg Spring for a 10-mile, one-hour casual bike ride through Lakewood Ranch. Participants will leave at 8 a.m. from Main Street at Lakewood Ranch. n Visit LakewoodRanch.com.

SPRING ART SHOW AND SALE Creative Arts Association of Lakewood Ranch presents its annual Spring Art Show and Sale from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall, 8175 Lakewood Ranch Blvd., Lakewood Ranch. Browse art from a variety of mediums, including acrylics, jewelry, ceramic and mixed media.

Admission and parking are free. n Visit CAALR.com.

MARCH 24 NEWCOMERS MEETUP From 10-11 a.m. at Bob Gardner Community Park, 2710 White Eagle Blvd., Lakewood Ranch, learn about the Lakewood Ranch community, its parks and events with other new residents. Free for residents; $10 for nonresidents. n Visit LakewoodRanch.com.

MARCH 26 MY HOMETOWN FEST This regional food and craft beer sampling event at Nathan Benderson Park, 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle, Sarasota, features food, beer, children’s activities, vendor booths, exhibits and live music. Gates are open from noon to 5 p.m. Ticket information to come. Proceeds benefit Sertoma Club of Greater Sarasota and Sertoma Kids. n Visit MyHometownFest.com.

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Liv Pucello, 17 months, loved her pizza from Main Street Trattoria at Music on Main with her mom, Gina, in December.

TROPICAL NIGHTS Come dressed fit for the king and queen — or as the king and queen — for this Tropical Nights: A Royal Affair fundraiser benefiting Meals on Wheels Plus of Manatee. Guests will enjoy live and silent auctions, gourmet cuisine, cocktails and dancing.

The fun starts at 6 p.m. n Visit MealsOnWheelsPlus.org.

MARCH 28 ARTS ALIVE Connect with the Manatee arts community at Manatee Arts Education Council’s celebration at the ballroom at Grove, 10670 Boardwalk Loop, Lakewood Ranch. A reception from 5-6:30 p.m. will feature hors d’oeuvres and an open bar, a silent auction of student artwork and live student entertainment. The awards and performance program will follow the reception. Valet parking will be available. n Visit MEFInfo.org.

APRIL APRIL 23 ARTS AND CRAFTS FESTIVAL Runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 23 and 24 at Main Street at Lakewood Ranch.

The annual Lakewood Ranch Arts and Crafts Festival features local, regional and national artisans in painting, sculpture, jewelry, photography, glass, ceramics, mixed media and woodworking. Admission is free. n Visit ParagonArtEvents.org CONCERT IN THE PARK From noon to 2 p.m. at Greenbrook Adventure Park, 13010 Adventure Place, Lakewood Ranch, enjoy live music in the park. Admission is $5 for residents and $20 for nonresidents. n Visit MyLWR.com.

APRIL 30 SUP & RUN 5K Dine and drink rum in a libation lounge after this SUP and Run 5K event benefiting veterans group Operation Second Chance. Admission for the 5K run or walk, the 5K standup paddleboard race or the combination is $40; veterans receive half off admission. Paddleboards are available for a $50 rental fee. The handcycle and wheelchair division is free admission. All races start at 8 a.m. at Nathan Benderson Park, 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle, Sarasota. n Visit SUPAndRun.com.

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style

Dorfman Pacific black hat: $30

Hat’s Off Brighten your mood and style with a hat.

BY HARRY SAYER

F

ashion accessories come and go, but the hat is here to stay. Whether you wear one for protection against sunshine and showers, to hide a bad haircut, or for an

extra shot of glamor and mystery, a hat adds panache to any ensemble. Here are a few that recently caught our eye.

Scala white hat: $45

Wish Boutique 257 N. Cattlemen Road, Sarasota; WishOnMainStreet.com Want to look glamorous and protect yourself from the sun?

Wish Boutique owner Jan Nicholson says that many of its fashions offer great sun and UV protection. These shady chapeaus also easily fold into your beach bag for impromptu close encounters with sand and surf.

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Scala beach hat with shells: $44

Oatmeal wide-brim fedora: $44

Bows and Arrow Boutique 190 N. Cattlemen Road Unit 4A, Sarasota; BowsAndArrowsco.com Who says fedoras are for men only?

Fin de siècle actress Sarah Bernhardt first popularized them in her role as Fédora Romanoff — and they’ve been in vogue since. Jazz up any outfit with a rakish, wide-brim fedora.

Accessorize with a rainbow of colored ribbons and straps.

Printed camel widebrim fedora: $44

Black wide-brim fedora: $44

Crowder’s Gifts and Gadgets LWR black cap: $35

SRQ navy cap: $35

2401 Lakewood Ranch Blvd., Sarasota; 941-744-2442 Talk about one-stop shopping. For more than 60 years, Crowder’s Gifts and Gadgets has offered an astounding variety of garbs and gear, including beachwear, jewelry, baby clothing and the perfect handbag. And headwear, natch. Stop in — and shout out your love for Lakewood Ranch and Sarasota with a range of cool caps emblazoned with LWR and SRQ. It’s the perfect souvenir.

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Scout & Molly’s Boutique 5275 University Parkway #132, Bradenton; ScoutAndMollys.com

Black Mercer hat by Peter Grimm: $80

Peter Grimm is no mad hatter.

He’s been a cutting-edge innovator in the hat industry for decades.

Grimm’s impressive run of toppers all started with his classic California lifeguard hat. The company proudly boasts of making hats for “true characters.” Show your true character to the world in one of these oh-so-cool, wide-brimmed hats with sharp triangle crowns.

Navy Byron Bay hat by Peter Grimm: $80

Grey Byron Bay hat by Peter Grimm: $80

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59

Growing Green In 1982, Ed and Betty Rosenthal launched Florikan ESA, a manufacturer of environmentally sustainable fertilizer. Since then, the company, headquartered in Lakewood Ranch, has earned top awards for its innovative technology and environmental leadership. In 2013, NASA began using Florikan’s product on its International Space Station.

BY ERIC SNIDER

Photos by Harry Sayer

In 2013, NASA began using Florikan’s SNR product to fertilize its hydroponic vegetable garden on the International Space Station. Ed Rosenthal’s contributions played a key role in his 2017 induction into the Space Technology Hall of Fame. He was honored along with his son, Eric, who took over as Florikan’s CEO in 2013.

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W

ho knew a career in fertilizer could be so exciting? Fulfilling, maybe, but exciting?

It happened.

Ed Rosenthal started a business in Sarasota with his wife, Betty, in 1982.

They christened it Florikan ESA. That dangling acronym stands for Environmentally Stable Agriculture. “Adding it was like a (promise) that we would only develop products that were beneficial to the environment,” Ed says.

At first, Ed sold plastic grow pots to farmers out of the trunk of his car.

Betty handled the books. But the couple had bigger things in store. Ed, who has a master’s degree in polymer chemistry, found the Sunshine State’s farming techniques primitive and a terrible waste of water. He wanted to move past peddling pots and get into the solution business. Working with a manufacturer in Japan, Ed developed a polymer-coated, controlled-release fertilizer, a breakthrough invention that upheld the company motto: helping the grower find a better way to grow.

Ed continued his research and development and in the early 2000s invented Staged Nutrient Release, or SNR, which delivers nutrients “at scheduled times when the plant needs them,” he explains. When SNR won Best Innovative Product from the National Society of Professional Engineers in America in 2004, Ed got a plaque.

But he also received something far more valuable: 40 hours of collaborative research with NASA’s Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program.

During his week at the Kennedy Space Center, Ed collaborated with NASA scientists to further advance his controlled-release technology.

All told, Ed has developed five patented agricultural products, each a significant piece of green technology.

In 2013, NASA began using Florikan’s SNR product to fertilize its hydroponic vegetable garden on the International Space Station. Ed still consults with the agency on the “Veggie System” project, which thus far has developed 12 leafy green crops that grow in microgravity. Ed’s con-

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tributions played a key role in his 2017 induction into the Space Technology Hall of Fame. He was honored along with his son, Eric, who took over as Florikan’s CEO in 2013.

These days, Ed lives with Betty in a condo in downtown Sarasota. Eric, 44, resides next door with his wife, Courtney, and their three children. They’re staying there for a few months until the construction of their new home in Lakewood Ranch is finished.

A FAMILY WINDFALL

Last October, Eric worked out a sale of Florikan to Illinois-based Profile Products. “When he brought the idea to me, he said, ‘Dad, this will be a lifechanging wealth event for all of us,’” Ed recounts. “We agreed right away. It was Eric who really built the company.

Without his work, no way the sale happens.”

Eric is staying on as CEO under a year-by-year employment agreement.

“I plan to stick around for awhile,” Eric says. “I no longer have to sign checks and call customers to collect money or worry about when to pay a vendor. I can focus on sales and growth.”

Florikan generated roughly $60 million in revenue in 2021. Eric envisions a pronounced upward trajectory in the coming years. “The expectation is that Profile is going to invest quite a bit of money and double our size in five years,” he says. “At least, that’s the marching orders I’ve been given.”

Ed continues to work in an advisory role with the company he founded. His infectious enthusiasm over a two-hour phone interview could convince even the most cynical that a career in fertilizer could indeed be exciting.

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

Ed Rosenthal was born in New York City to Celia Lerner Rosenthal, a native of the Bronx, and Morris Rosenthal, who grew up on a family farm in Romania and moved to Canada to escape antisemitism. The couple lived on a small farm 50 miles west of Montreal. When Celia was nine months pregnant, she took a train to New York to make sure her son was born an American.

The agriculture techniques Morris learned in Romania did not translate to Lachute, Canada, and life was a constant struggle. Ed remembers times when the fridge held only bottles of well water — no food. Morris ultimately opened a women’s clothing store in Lachute to make ends meet, while continuing to farm. Celia was miserable living in the remote north, so during winter and summer school breaks she would return with her only child to New York, where she took Ed to see plays and bathed him in the city’s culture.

Ed was a stellar student. His grades and off-the-charts SAT scores earned Continued on Page 64

Florikan developed a fertilizer casing in the form of a small polymer-plastic nugget called a prill. The casings can release the fertilizer inside over specified periods, which reduces harmful nutrient runoff.

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Continued from Page 62 him a scholarship to Sir George Williams (now Concordia) University in Montreal, where straight out of high school he enrolled in master’s programs in both arts and sciences. Ed simultaneously became a Herman Melville scholar and studied the emerging discipline of polymer chemistry.

After college, Ed signed on with a startup company in Ontario that had developed plastic growing pots, which were lighter and cheaper than standard clay ones. He sold them out of the trunk of his car.

In the 1970s, the Quebec sovereignty movement was in full froth. Ed recalls receiving a letter in the late ’70s telling him he’d have to send his two young sons to “French immersion school.” He wanted no part of it.

Florida seemed like a good place to live and sell pots, so he pointed his 1975 Pontiac Grandville south for a scouting trip. Wanting to live in a thriving Jewish community and be near the farming hotbed of Homestead, he leaned toward Miami. “Right about that time, Time magazine published an article saying it was one of the three most dangerous cities in America,” Ed recalls. He crossed Miami off his list.

After a brief stop in Naples, Ed found his way to Sarasota and met with the rabbi at Temple Beth Sholom. Ed instantly fell in love with the city and soon moved his wife and two young sons from Canada into a twobedroom house just off South Beneva Road. He commuted to southeast Florida during the work week, bonding with the farmers.

The husband-and-wife team incorporated as Florikan, a portmanteau of “Florida” and “Canada,” with the “K standing for knowledge.” In ’85, tired of bringing in product from Canada, Ed and Betty built their own plant in Sarasota and began manufacturing pots.

Pursuing the company’s loftier goals, Ed set up a lab in the plant and developed a fertilizer casing in the form of a small polymer-plastic nugget called a prill. (Eric says they resemble Nerds candies but would not recommend eating one.) The casings can be customized to release the fertilizer inside over specified periods, be it 90 days, 180 days, a year, or whatever is appropriate for a particular

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crop. “Control-release means using less fertilizer because it’s applied only once per crop cycle,” Ed explains, adding that the product also helps reduce harmful nutrient runoff.

Although control-release makes up only 2% of the fertilizer market, according to Eric, Florikan cornered it and began to thrive. One day, three guys showed up at the office and offered Ed a chance to carry their line of pesticides and fungicides. The opportunity promised a serious spike in revenue. “I told them, ‘I will never sell a pesticide or a fungicide,’” Ed recounts. “‘I’m not interested in selling poison and doing damage to farmworkers or the environment.’”

In 1992, Hurricane Andrew flattened Homestead and destroyed its agriculture industry. Ed immediately launched a relief effort. His six company trucks made regular runs to Homestead with bottled water, food and other essentials. Ed adds that he also put the farmers’ receivables on hold, continued to extend credit and deliver his product, while “other companies made it strictly COD. You know what? Every one of those farmers paid the old debt to the penny as well as anything current. We didn’t lose a dime.”

EXPANDING THE FAMILY BUSINESS

Meanwhile, in the late ’90s, Eric, who had graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in computer science, was living in Atlanta and working on “Y2K compliance issues.” His older brother, Jonathan, lived in the city as well, working as an attorney. In 2001, Eric recalls, “some massive hurricanes crippled the farming in Florida. The company was struggling financially, so my parents asked if I would come down for a few months to help out.”

He learned the business from top to bottom and contributed to Florikan’s rebound as South Florida built back its agriculture industry. The company vastly expanded its sales reach, mostly in the Southeast and Texas. For Eric, “It was the old story: You never leave the family business.”

Ed says that by 2009, Florikan had “perfected control-release (fertilizer) and was selling a whole lot of it.” But that year presented the biggest crisis Continued on Page 66

THE HERMAN MELVILLE CONNECTION While Ed Rosenthal was studying “Moby Dick” in college, he couldn’t help but notice Jewish references in the text: Ahab, Ishmael, even the name of the ship, Pequod, was codified Hebrew. “There’s got to be more to this than a frickin’ whaling journey,” Ed recalls thinking.

Intrigued, he consulted his brotherin-law Jack Hadida, a rabbi and Hebrew scholar, and they unearthed themes and meanings Ed says were new to the Herman Melville canon. By analyzing names, symbols and other signifiers, they interpreted the book’s deeper meaning as such: “If you do not protect the environment, it will annihilate you,” Ed says. “If you protect it, it will deliver you from annihilation. In 1854, Melville was worried about the environment becoming contaminated.”

Ed refined his discoveries into a master’s thesis, which was well received by his professors and ultimately published by the Melville Society. “Hebraic and Biblical Elements in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick” still resides in the august organization’s archives.

At age 21, Ed Rosenthal — a sudden Melville scholar — was offered a post teaching a graduate class in Melville and Mark Twain at his alma mater, Sir George Williams University in Montreal.

He accepted. Ed showed up on his first day of class and, standing in front of 20-some students who were older than he was, outlined the curriculum — which included a midterm exam and paper, and a final exam and paper.

“One young man with long hair put up his hand and said I couldn’t do that,” Ed remembers, explaining that the student felt his requirements were too burdensome. “He went on to say that students were in college not just for academics, but for their emotional and social development. I said, ‘My job is to teach you Melville, Twain and environmentalism in American lit. If you need social and emotional help, I can direct you to the guidance counselor. Word got around that I was a reactionary, uncaring. The students boycotted my class.”

That ended Ed Rosenthal’s career as a Melville scholar. He shifted his attention to polymer chemistry and began selling plastic pots. Thus began a career in fertilizer.

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Continued from Page 64

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yet for the company — and for Ed. The Great Recession did not spare the farming industry, and Florikan took a significant hit. Also, “I got really sick that year,” Ed says. “I had sleep apnea that was life-threatening. I literally could have passed away in my sleep on any given night.”

Ed traveled to Stanford University Medical Center in California for maxillomandibular advancement surgery, in which jaw bones are repositioned to relieve airway obstruction and help alleviate sleep apnea. His recovery did not go well. “I was comatose on my feet,” he says. “I couldn’t eat anything. I didn’t know if I would live, so I turned over the company to Eric and Jonathan. It was like my last will and testament.”

Ed survived. Eric took over running Florikan. Jonathan stayed in Atlanta but made a business move that might well have saved the company. He orchestrated the sale of one of Florikan’s controlled-release patents to a large potato producer. The $6 million it

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brought in saw Florikan through the rough patch. Subsequently, Ed says, the company suffered from mismanagement by a few newcomers placed in executive positions — including a CFO who was “completely incompetent” — so, in 2013, he and Betty returned to help nurture the company back to health. Part of the process was getting rid of the bad seeds.

Eric took over as CEO that year and put together a top-notch team, Ed says. In 2015, Florikan opened another, larger plant in Wauchula, about 50 miles east of company headquarters in Lakewood Ranch.

Eric allows that the business relationship with his father was rocky at times, but says it with a chuckle. “Like any family business, we’ve had plenty of drama along the way,” he explains.

“My father always thinks he’s right; he has a very strong personality, and I have a lot of that, too. We eventually separated our roles and found the right things to do. Dad was the visionary. I ran the company.”

Ed’s consulting agreement with Florikan finds him in the office a couple of

If you do not protect the environment, it will annihilate you.

If you protect it, it will deliver you from annihilation.”

– ED ROSENTHAL

afternoons a week, where he continues to work on fertilizer technology.

“It’s very nice now,” Eric says. “The business is doing well. Dad has things to do and people to talk to but is no longer controlling. And he has his NASA work.”

Ed and Betty leave their condo door unlocked so the grandkids can come and go, grab an ice cream from the fridge, take a shower, hang out with Papa Ed and Mimi. “There’s nothing better in life,” Ed intones tenderly.

Mark Your Calendar!

VISIT OUR WEBSITES for EVENT INFORMATION and UPDATES! paragonartevents.com | seafoodfestivals.com | 941-487-8061

Paragon Fine Art Festivals

Seafood & Music Festivals Bonita Springs Seafood & Music Festival February 25-27, 2022 The Poker Room, Bonita Springs, FL

Sarasota Winter Arts & Crafts Festival February 26-27, 2022 JD Hamel Park, Sarasota, FL Sarasota Spring Fine Art Festival March 5-6, 2022 JD Hamel Park, Sarasota, FL Lakewood Ranch Fine Art Festival March 12-13, 2022 Downtown on Main Street, Lakewood Ranch Sarasota Spring Arts & Crafts Festival April 9-10, 2022 JD Hamel Park, Sarasota, FL Punta Gorda Spring Arts & Crafts Festival April 16-17, 2022 Laishley Park, Punta Gorda, FL

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Lakewood Ranch Arts & Crafts Festival April 23-24, 2022 Downtown on Main Street, Lakewood Ranch, FL

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Englewood Shrimp & Music Festival March 11-13, 2022 Englewood Plaza, Englewood, FL Bonita Springs Blues & BBQ Festival March 18-20, 2022 The Poker Room, Bonita Springs, FL

Vero Beach Arts & Crafts Festival May 21-22, 2022 Riverside Park, Vero Beach, FL St. Armands Fine Art Festival May 28-29, 2022 St. Armands Circle Park, Sarasota, FL

Naples Blues & BBQ Festival April 1-3, 2022 Italian American Club, Naples, FL Bonita Springs Shrimp & Music Festival April 8-10, 2022 The Poker Room, Bonita Springs, FL

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Tampa Bay Seafood & Music Festival April 22-24, 2022 Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, Tampa, FL Sarasota Blues & BBQ Festival May 6-8, 2022 Robarts Arena, Sarasota, FL Punta Gorda Crab & Music Festival May 13-15, 2022 Laishley Park, Punta Gorda, FL Sarasota Seafood & Music Festival May 20-22, 2022 JD Hamel Park, Sarasota, FL

Spring Into

Action

There’s a pastime for every passion in Lakewood Ranch.

BY ABBY WEINGARTEN hat’s happening at the Ranch this spring?

Wrong question…

What isn’t happening?

That’s the real question.

Lakewood Ranch offers hundreds of activities to engage mind, body and spirit. Soccer. Ukulele. Pickleball. Gardening. Painting. Photography. Birding.

Book clubs. Camping. Basketball. Baseball. Bible study. Tennis. Walking. Yoga. Genealogy. Handicrafts. Running. Ballroom dancing. Wine. There’s even an Empty Nesters club. That’s just the start of a very long list. A host of homegrown clubs, leagues and groups will keep you busy long through summer.

Just ask Keith Pandeloglou. He’s the executive director of Lakewood Ranch Community Activities (LWRCA), a nonprofit organization offering more than 60 activities and events for varying

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interests and skill levels.

“We launched this program in June 2020 in response to the pandemic,” Pandeloglou says.

“We rapidly expanded and now offer 550 program sessions for more than 5,000 residents. I’m responsible for planning all the programs and working with community partners to staff them.

I’m also in charge of budgeting, promotion and day-of setup and breakdown.”

For Pandeloglou, it’s a massive undertaking.

Its success depends on the team captains, presidents and members of the respective clubs who keep their individual activities up and active: people like Larry Naddeo of the Lakewood Ranch Anglers Club, Andrea Rutsky of the Lakewood Ranch Running Club and Jessi and Chris McComas of MVP Sports and Social.

There’s a pastime for every passion in Lakewood Ranch and always a place to follow it.

Here’s a smattering of just a few of the activities happening this spring:

THERE’S A LEAGUE FOR THAT MVP SPORTS AND SOCIAL Make new friends, nurture longlasting bonds—and kick a ball while you’re at it.

When Jessi and Chris McComas moved to Lakewood Ranch from Tennessee in 2015, they noticed a void. “We realized that people had little opportunity to socialize on the playing field,” says Chris. “Jessi and I decided to change that.” How? They did what any young sports enthusiasts and entrepreneurs would do: They launched a kickball league with 72 players. It soon grew into MVP Sports and Social. The organization now boasts 1,400 members who flock to Lakewood Ranch from across the region.

Their goal?

“We want to bring people together in a laid-back atmosphere where they can mingle, make new memories and have fun,” says Chris, who also serves as Lakewood Ranch Community Activities’ parks program director. “Our business model is to keep it about fun and not about high-stress competition.”

The walk on the fun side includes indoor and outdoor volleyball, kickball, softball, bowling, golf, basketball, disc golf and cornhole. Most of these activities have a league of their own, with fundraising tournaments.

Chris explains that they recently created three divisions: The “Party” division welcomes people who are just learning the game or want a more relaxed experience. The “Lit” division is for more advanced players with decent abilities — but still learning. The “Fire” division is for current or former athletes with high-level skills who still seek the social dimension.

“In the end, it’s all about meeting new people, making friends and sharing life experiences,” says Chris. “No matter what division you’re in, you’re

Photos by Heidi Kurpiela

Players and spectators showed up in droves for MVP Sports and Social Club’s Holiday Volleyball Tournament at Waterside Place: 180 players participated in the tourney, and more than 50 people showed up to watch.

still in the same arena with everyone else at the same time. The diversity of age and skill sets and interests is what makes this work as well as it does. We stress the social side and not the competitive side. The main requirement?

Be kind to each other and have fun.”

Jessi adds that several MVP members have met at an event and subsequently got married. “Our first marriage occurred when two single people joined our cornhole league. We paired them together, and the rest is history.”

For more information, contact Chris McComas at 304-654-0283 or chris@mvpsportsandsocial.com or visit mvpsportsandsocial.com.

HOW CORNY IS CORNHOLE? Snickering “Beavis and Butt-Head” references aside, cornhole is a lawn game. It’s a lot like horseshoes, but instead of tossing a horseshoe at a metal post, you lob a bagfull of corn kernels through a wooden platform with a hole in it. Contestants take turns pitching their corn bags at the cornhole platform until a contestant reaches 21 points. A corn bag in the hole scores 3 points, while one on the platform scores 1 point. Nowadays, the “corn bag” is usually filled with plastic pellets.

For that reason, the game is also called “beanbag toss.” Need to know more?

Visit PlayCornhole.org.

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FISH TALES LAKEWOOD RANCH ANGLERS CLUB The fish are jumping in Lakewood Ranch.

For 16 years, the 60-plus members of the Lakewood Ranch Anglers Club — from amateur level to the more experienced — have gone fishing in the myriad waterways meandering through their neighborhoods. Lake Uihlein, the only natural body of water, is also the largest and fed by natural springs. What kind of fish do folks catch in these parts? Larry Naddeo, the club’s chairman, says it’s typically large-mouth bass, catfish and tilapia.

“Most of the lakes in Lakewood Ranch are public and fishable,” says Naddeo. “There’s endless opportunity to experience the joy of fishing in a responsible way.” Naddeo knows that joy full well. He’s been fishing since he was a lad — more than 70 years ago.

The Anglers gather for their hourlong Fishing Saturdays at 10 a.m. every third Saturday of the month at Lake Patton in James L. Patton Park.

The club provides a rod and reel, tackle, structure and guidance.

Want to learn more about fishing?

Naddeo suggests attending one of the free Learn to Fish seminars at Summerfield Park. Recently held in February, participants learn about casting, Five-year-old Lewis Garcia put his casting skills (and patience) to the test during December‘s Learn-to-Fish knot tying, tackle and environment series at Patton Park.

— and even have a chance to win a rod and reel. The seminar is open to Lakewood Ranch residents ages 5 to FISHING DO’S 19. Another popular recent event is AND DON’TS IN the Lakewood Ranch Fishing TournaLAKEWOOD RANCH ment, held Feb. 26 at Lake Uihlein. The n Fishing is catch-andevent is also open to Lakewood Ranch release only. residents ages 5 to 19. n Never go in someThe Anglers also enjoy overnight one’s backyard to fish. trips to Lake Okeechobee, the Florida n Be aware of gators; Keys, Canada and deep into the Gulf of they want that fish as Mexico waters. much as you do and will What’s the most unusual fish an try to get it off your line.

Angler has ever caught? According to n Dispose of your Naddeo, “A 10-foot sailfish. That was tangled fishing lines in truly the catch of a lifetime.”

For more information on the Lakewood Ranch Anglers Club, visit MyLWR.com/306/Anglers-Club or contact Larry Naddeo at 201-2746899 or larrynaddeo@ilj.com.

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Learn-to-Fish Saturdays are a labor of love for Jeanette Wirz, president of the Lakewood Ranch Anglers Club, and Larry Naddeo, who serves as club chairman. The club gets kids (and adult novices) hooked on fishing by providing loaner poles, bait and hands-on instruction 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. every third Saturday at Patton Park.

a responsible manner.

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FINDING COMMUNITY THROUGH RUNNING LAKEWOOD RANCH RUNNING CLUB There’s a pace and a distance for everyone.

Is running in your blood? Is your idea of fun waking up before sunrise to join other early risers for a long-distance run? Want to tally up your miles for the Mileage Club each month and maybe win a prize? We’ve got the club for you!

Since its small beginnings in the late 1990s, the Lakewood Ranch Running Club has expanded to more than 80 members who join for the camaraderie and the competition. The club’s mainly for adults, but youth are welcome to join. Members range in age from 17 to 70 and above.

Oh, and you don’t have to be a track star to participate.

“So many people think they can’t run with us because they’re too slow or just starting,” says Andrea Rutsky, the club’s president. “But that’s not true at all. We have people in the club who have run-walked all the way to Boston Marathon qualifiers. There’s always someone who will match your pace.”

Rutsky first laced up her running shoes nine years ago when she turned 40. “I did it backwards,” she says. “Many people start running when they’re young and then shift to a gentler exercise, like yoga, after injuries. I had a serious yoga practice before I got into running. But I love being outdoors; my default is to be outside whether it’s hot, cold or rainy — and running is perfect for that.” Rutsky does most of her running on trails (not cement paths) in Lakewood Ranch, averaging about 15 miles a week. “I’d love to run every day, but I need to do a lot of cross-training, so I alternate with swimming, yoga, gym exercise and other body-strengthening and flexibility exercises.”

The club meets year-round for group runs at 5:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 6 a.m. on Saturdays, at various locations throughout

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Brooke Allen-Burnstein, Dabney Moncher and Miriam Gregory pound the lakefront pavement surrounding Lakewood Ranch Main Street on a cool, clear, January night.

QUICK ADVICE What is Andrea Rutsky’s advice to reluctant runners who keep putting off their morning jog until tomorrow? “Some runners need extra motivation,” she says with a laugh. “That happens. Best thing to do? Find someone to run with so that you’re accountable. It always comes down to that. If you want to find your personal best, run with someone else.”

Lakewood Ranch. There is a mileage party at the end of the year, and awards are given for 500, 1,000 and 2,000 miles.

“Lakewood Ranch is a super fastgrowing town, so people are always moving in and looking to connect.”

Rutsky says. “With our club, you’ll be spending hours running with these people and start making friends.

There’s a pace and a distance for everyone. I think people surprise themselves by what they can do, especially with the support of a group like this.”

For more information, visit RunLWRr.com or contact Andrea Rutsky at President@RunLWR.com.

I think people surprise themselves by what they can do, especially with the support of a group like this.”

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Love gardening — or want to get started? Gardeners Out East promotes the beautification of gardens and offers educational programs about Florida gardening and advocates for environmental issues. According to member Nancy Schneider, a green thumb is not a membership requirement. “You don’t have to be a master gardener to join,” she says. “Just enjoy meeting people and be interested in gardening of any type.”

Gulf fritillary butterfly

Upcoming events include: Photos by Andrea Lewis n March 14: Pie Day and Indoor Palms: Presented by master garden- Melodie Freidbach and Carolyn Lowry Nation enjoy the joys of cultivating their gardens. er Amy Stripe, with “A Palm in your Hand” designing tips by Betty Call.

Each member brings a whole pie to COMMUNITY PROJECTS swap; new guests are welcome.

Gardeners Out East’s first comn April 11: Sunken Gardens Tour: munity project was resurrecting Sunken Gardens in St. Petersburg is and expanding the Butterfly one of the oldest roadside tourist atGarden in Summerfield Commutractions in the United States. Particinity Park in 2015. This garden is pants will also enjoy lunch and shopstill an ongoing project, lovingly ping at Mazzaro’s Italian Market. maintained by GOE members. n May 9: Season Finale: ParticiThe second community projpants bid the gardening season fareect was creating the Marigold well with a delicious potluck luncheon.

Garden in 2016 (now called the Guests are welcome. At Peace PresbyCircle Garden), which is adjacent terian Church.

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IN FOCUS Members of the Lakewood Ranch Digital Photography Club capture the world — frame by frame.

BY SU BYRON

Photography is an austere and blazing poetry of the real.” – ANSEL ADAMS

T

hese days, it seems like everyone is a photographer. It used to be a painstaking art demanding an arcane knowledge of lenses, lighting and exposures. No instant gratification, either. Snapping the photo was merely the beginning of a long process. Developing film took time — not to mention the careful selection of which negative to print. Digital technology changed that. In the 1990s, it started with expensive point-and-shoot digital cameras with no film and no waiting. Over the years, the price tag on those cameras dropped. Then, smartphones put a camera in nearly everybody’s pocket. Photography is cheap and crazy easy now. But that doesn’t mean that everyone snapping selfies is a true photographer. The art of photography is still worth mastering. And the Lakewood Ranch Digital Photography Club can help you do just that. Since it was founded in 2003, the club has been open to photographers of all ages and skill levels. It offers a bounty of workshops, field trips, competitions, contests, critiques, feedback sessions and other events throughout the year. According to Jennifer Joy Walker, the club’s newly elected president, “We provide a wealth of opportunities for all photographers, from beginner to professional, and it is populated by a very generous group of enthusiasts who are eager to share what they know.”

Interested? The Lakewood Ranch Digital Photography Club meets on the third Wednesday of the month, via Zoom until further notice. Membership is $40 for a single membership; $60 for a couple. Residence in Lakewood Ranch is not required. For more information, visit.LwrDpc.WildApricot.org.

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FOUR CLOSEUPS

Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.”

– HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON

Top: Summer Day. Bottom: Chinchero Play

JENNIFER JOY WALKER

Jennifer Joy Walker’s first camera was a Pentax Spotmatic.

The Vancouver native bought it when she was 15, before a school trip to Europe. She’s been hooked ever since — on both photography and travel. Walker fondly remembers having “camera in hand” while her children were growing up and, these days, her husband and blended family of children and grandchildren give her “plenty of willing subjects.” Walker’s interest in sailing (she’s a member of the local Luffing Lassies women’s sunfish racing group) led to her role as official photographer for the 50th Annual Sunfish Worlds, an international event held at Sarasota’s Sailing Squadron. Walker joined the club in 2017 and has even taught a few courses.

CLOSE-UP:

n Favorite cameras: Sony A7III and the Sony A6000. n Photographer heroes: “Greg Williams: I love his style and fashioned my photoshoot with Christine Alexander after one of his images. Foncie Pulice was a photographer in Vancouver who captured the life of the city from 1946 to 1979. Eyal Oren lives in Marblehead, Massachusetts, and takes gorgeous images of the picturesque town. Annie Griffiths is a photojournalist, and I love her book, ‘A Camera, Two Kids and a Camel,’ which describes her life as a National Geographic photographer.” n Secret to capturing action shots: “Shutter speed! For a sailboat race, I set my shutter to 1/1250 second. I want to freeze the splashes of water in the image.” n What’s next: “More documentary photography of people engaged in activities they care about, including work, volunteering and creating. I love to do portraits, especially family portraits, because I feel they are so precious. You are capturing a moment in time.” n Contact: JenniferJoyWalker.Photography@gmail.com; 941-726-2331; JenniferJoyWalker.com.

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REENA WALKLING

Reena Walkling bought her first “big” camera, a Nikon DSLR, in 2012 when she was 60, and “began viewing the world from another perspective.” She’s self-taught and continually learning the power of photography to capture reality and spark emotion. “I see man and nature at its best and worst,” Walkling says.

“From my backyard to places across the seas, the world continues to amaze and delight me.” Walkling joined the club in 2017. She lives in Lakewood Ranch and Rockport, Maine.

CLOSE-UP:

n Favorite cameras: Nikon D850, Nikon Z 7II mirrorless, and iPhone 13 Pro. n Photographer heroes: Sean Bagshaw, Daniel Kordan and Michael Shainblum, “who all use nature, light and color in their stunning images.” n Special techniques to capture grand landscapes: “A tripod is an absolute necessity along with strong beautiful early morning or evening light.” n Post-production secrets: “Lightroom and Photoshop provide excellent tools for editing. Other programs, such as Topaz, NIK and Luminar software, provide additional tools in my editing process.” n Photographic secret she wishes she’d known from the start: “Being self-taught, I wish I’d have known all the techniques that I’ve learned in the last few years from other photographers and workshops. For example, I shot in JPEG format starting out, which is OK, but RAW provides higher quality of images, giving one more ability to tweak the final product.” n Why she loves photography: “It took many years to discover that capturing landscapes, and nature brought me the most joy. The solitary quietness of waiting for a sunrise or capturing the starry skies is most awe-inspiring.” n Contact: ReenaWalk@gmail.com; ReenaWalkPhotography.com

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Cheers

SUSAN BEAUSANG

Susan Beausang’s photographic journey began when her company needed photos of fashionable headscarves for women and girls with medical hair loss.

After that? “I’m constantly looking for new places, people, food, new colors — just about anything and everything appeals to me through my lens. Everything around me looks different when I start to see the world as a photographer. I love to study the light and the composition and see how I can tell the story through the lens.

Everyday objects can be exciting when I think of them as capturing a moment in time. As the lens opens to capture an image, so do my eyes.” Beausang, who lives in University Park, has been a member of the club for six years and served as its president for two years.

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Water Splash

She was awarded the Florida Excellence in Photographic Arts (F.E.P.A.) honor in 2020, which recognizes outstanding achievements in the Florida Camera Club Council.

CLOSE-UP:

n What she shoots with: A Nikon D850 and Nikon D500. n Photographer heroes: Dina Belenko and Gray Malin. n How she captures motion: “Motion photography requires a studio setting with proper lighting.” n Why still-life? “I enjoy the process of creating the image in my mind and then accomplishing the finished product. Still-life photography is very time-consuming but very rewarding. Sometimes, I can imagine the photo for days before I get ready to photograph it. Once I am happy with the composition, I experiment with lighting. It’s a process of trial and error and patience.”

n Post-production secrets: “I use both Lightroom and Photoshop. I do try to get the image right in the camera to avoid spending too much editing time. I almost always shoot with a tether cord attached to my laptop so I can make adjustments in my set-up as I go along. Some of my creative images are a combination of layers.” n When she got her first camera: “I’m a late bloomer when it comes to my photography. I got my first DSLR camera about eight years ago. My mother was a serious photographer. I wish I had spent more time learning from her before I started taking pictures.” n Why photography? “Photography is a great creative outlet. I often think people feel you need fancy equipment to take photos. Cell phones have advanced so much in their camera capabilities that it’s a great way to see if you like photography before making a huge investment in a camera.” n Contact: 215-421-9668; SmbPhotos.com.

There is one thing the photo must contain — the humanity of the moment.”

– ROBERT FRANK

Crazy Eggs

If you’re wondering what a gift to the Healthcare Foundation can do,

Ask a trauma patient.

A c a r c r a s h c h a n g e d h i g h s c h o o l a t h l e t e J a e l e n’s l i fe, fo r e v e r. H e e n d u r e d l i fe - t h r e a t e n i n g i n j u r i e s r e q u i r i n g 1 7 s u r g e r i e s a n d m o n t h s i n r e h a b. J a e l e n r e c o v e r e d t h a n k s t o t h e S M H t r a u m a a n d r e h a b t e a m s .

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DICK FOSTER

Dick Foster got his first camera when he was 26. His initial interest was in blackand-white photography, which led him to “building a cramped darkroom in an apartment bathroom” so he could develop his own rolls of film. After retiring to Florida, Foster took up photography again. He focused initially on photographing birds because of the “awesome variety of big birds in the area.”

Foster also enjoys landscape photography and, most recently, macro/closeup photography. He joined the Lakewood Ranch Digital Photography Club in 2017 and says that “club members have a wide range of knowledge that they generously share through classes, field trips, photo critiques, presentations and more.”

CLOSE-UP:

n Favorite cameras: A Nikon D850 and Nikon Z7ii. n Photographer hero: Ansel Adams. n Secrets to capturing birds and other wildlife: “A good camera, a telephoto lens and lots of practice!

Understand your camera settings so you can quickly change shutter speed, aperture, focus point and other settings quickly.” n What special techniques he uses in macro and close-up photography: “It’s best to use a true macro lens. To get your entire subject in focus it is often necessary to use focus stacking with your camera mounted on a tripod. I’ve recently started taking extreme macro photos (four to five times lifesize) of insects using a microscope object mounted on my camera.” n How far away was “Sylvester the Cheetah” in the photo in these pages? “He was a few feet away when posing for photos, but he was on a leash. Sylvester was a goodwill ambassador for the Elephant Camp near Victoria Falls, South Africa. Sadly, he died a few months after the photo was taken. “

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It’s Not Polite to Stare

n Post-production secrets? “I shoot in RAW format and use Lightroom and Photoshop to edit. For both programs, I use add-in presets, profiles and panels to simplify the editing process.” n Photographic secret he wishes he’d known from the start: “Understanding the importance that composition plays in creating a photo with impact.” n Contact: DickFoster.photos.

The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.”

– DOROTHEA LANGE

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HAVEN LWR LIFE

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SPOTLIGHTING LIFE ON THE RANCH

This Country Club East home is perfectly suited for today’s tastes. PAGE 90

Work and relaxation find the perfect mix in a luxurious lakefront home.

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THE WAY WE LIVE 90

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Water, water everywhere.

A pool and spa overlook a peaceful view of the lake.

NOW

Calm and comfort highlight a Country Club East home.

BY ROBERT PLUNKET

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T

he past two years have brought a whole new interpretation of what a home is. In prepandemic days, it was a busy place, designed for togetherness and always on the go. Now we’re looking for different values: tranquility, privacy, places to get some serious work done.

And if our living space brings in nature and calms the spirit, well, that would be even better.

A good example of this new way of looking at things is this 3,300-squarefoot residence in Country Club East.

Even though it was built in 2017, the home has the near-perfect combination of elements for the way people

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want to live now. It even starts out ahead of the game thanks to its exceptional setting: a southern orientation overlooking one of Country Club East’s many lakes. Up close is yet more water in the form of a large, blue-tiled swimming pool. It’s water on water. Sitting in the sundrenched living room with the whole space sparkling is a meditative experience.

The home belongs to Richard and Diane Paul, who bought it for the best reason of all: A grand piano fits comfortably into the living room. Richard is the piano man. He has been playing since he was a teenager, which adds yet another element to the Paul house’s pleasant vibes: live music. What better way to enliven a place that’s been quiet too long. “It was a great comfort during the pandemic,” Richard says.

Of course, expertise helps, and Richard — Dr. Paul to be more exact — is an expert in many subjects. A recently retired endocrinologist who worked as a liaison with the FDA, he’s also a serious student of astronomy, and the strange object in his study in a Cassegrain telescope, famous for the highly detailed views it provides of the moon and planets. The study, by the way, is more informal than you might expect, with a dramatic wall of horizontal stripes and lots of practical shelving.

Looking down on things is a charcoal portrait of Albert Einstein done from life — one of the doctor’s most-prized possessions.

But these days a home needs more than one work space, and Diane uses Continued on Page 94

ABOVE: The highceilinged living room opens to the expansive outdoor living area. A fireplace and grand piano add to the traditional atmosphere. There’s a formal dining room to the left.

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If the idea of carefree, top-notch Lakewood Ranch living is a hit with you, come take a tour. We’re playing your song!

• Stylish one- and two-story townhomes in the nation’s best-selling master-planned community • Near CORE, Lakewood Ranch Town Centers, Sarasota Polo Club, farmer’s market, great schools & I-75 • Low maintenance, easy living and low fees • Community amenities for all ages: • Zero-entry pool with lap lanes and sun deck • Clubhouse with fitness center • Green spaces, common areas and tot lot • Cinemas & more at Lakewood Ranch Main Street

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Visit MattamyHomes.com or see a Mattamy New Home Counselor for further details and important legal disclaimers. This is not an offer in states where registration is required. Void where prohibited by law. Prices, specifications, terms, conditions, offers, home site and plan availability are subject to change or revocation without prior notice or obligation. Photographs and videos are solely for illustrative purposes and should never be relied upon. Furniture is not included in the price of the home. Mattamy Homes reserves the right to make changes at any time without notice. *Offer may not be redeemed for cash or equivalent. Offers are limited to individuals that purchase their home directly from Mattamy Homes. Incentive varies by home, homesite, closing date and community and is available on a predetermined number of homes. Offer available on new homes if a new purchase agreement is fully executed between 2/21/22 to 5/1/22 and home closes and fully funds upon completion. Home purchase agreements fully executed prior to 2/21/22 are excluded. Offers, incentives and seller contributions are subject to certain terms, conditions and restrictions, which include use of designated lenders and closing agents. Certain incentives could affect the loan amount. To be eligible to participate in Closing Cost incentive, buyer must utilize Seller’s affiliated title company (Mattamy Homes Title, LLC) and affiliated lender (Mattamy Home Funding, LLC, NMLS# 64022) for financing to receive a closing cost contribution at closing for the payment of approved standard closing costs; which exclude discount points, prepaid items, and any HOA fees. Buyer is not required to utilize the Affiliated Title Company or to finance through Affiliated Lender to purchase the home, but failure to utilize Affiliated Lender will result in buyer being ineligible to participate. Total closing cost contribution subject to Mattamy’s contribution limitations based on mortgage program and loan-tovalue guidelines that are outside of Mattamy’s control. At closing, Mattamy will provide to buyer a credit in an amount not to exceed the closing cost incentive available on that select home, as determined on your Loan Estimate, excluding prepaids. Offer is subject to borrower meeting approval guidelines. Rates and terms are subject to change without notice. Contact a Mattamy Home Funding LLC Loan Officer for financing details, or a Mattamy Homes New Home Counselor for home purchase details. Copyright © 2021 Mattamy Homes. E. & O.E. Builder’s #CGC1524054, CBC1261948, CGC1513363 MATTPA391

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Continued from Page 92 the separate family room, which doubles as a play area, for Fiver, a highly spoiled 2-year-old Lab. Early in her career as an oncology nurse, Diane became concerned about the emotional toll that cancer patients were going through and set up an organization called the Cancer Hope Network.

Patients were paired with survivors to give them one-on-one support during their treatment. The organization is still going strong after 40 years.

A dedicated home office is important these days, but many of us work at home in various nooks and crannies around the house, and here the Paul home shines brightly, too. The living room itself is a wonderful space for Continued on Page 96

RIGHT: The owner’s study is uncluttered and ready for work, with a calm blue-andgray color scheme. A portrait of Albert Einstein can be seen at center left.

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Provenance® Woven Wood Shades

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Let Us Guide You Home

There’s a reason that their clients have called them “The Dynamic Duo”! Judy and Valerie have an undeniable chemistry that leaves an impression wherever they go! Individually, these two are strong, but together, they are a force! You really do have to meet them to understand their uniqueness; they bring such positive, high energy to the people they work with!

The very best Real Estate professionals we have ever worked with. Being a retired Army Officer, my family moved at least a dozen times in 22 years and I can say without hesitation that Valerie and Judy are the best ever Real Estate Team!! We highly recommend them for all your Real Estate needs. They went the extra mile for us-whenever we had an issue no matter if it Real Estate related or not, they made sure the issue was resolved in our favor. A real pleasure to work with.

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Judy Heuerman

— Jon Moneyhun

Continued from Page 94 reading and a Zoom meeting or two.

The nearby formal dining area has no view and thus would be a good choice when you don’t want to be distracted.

And, of course, there’s a whole outdoor living area, partly shaded and partly sunny, which frankly seems a little too luxurious for anything called “work.”

It does, however, provide perfect openair space for pandemic entertaining.

A practical layout is one thing.

Equally important is a home’s personality, and here the Paul residence is spot on. “We wanted something traditional but still Florida,” Diane explains.

With the help of decorator Sharon Nizolek of SBN Design Studio, the couple came up with a neutral color scheme, warm and luxurious, with soft creams and beiges and an occasional gray as a background. Blue is used extensively as an accent but always in a subtle way that picks up the colors of the water just outside. Furniture is classic and traditional. The result is a timeless home that flows contentedly from room to room.

“I love the grand feeling you get as you enter,” says Diane. She didn’t want the kitchen to be the first thing you see, as it is with so many open-concept homes. Here, it is discretely tucked off to the side, accessible yet not dominating the space. Likewise, the dining area — which the Pauls tweaked from the original floor plan to make larger — has a traditional feeling, with polished furniture and a collection of Winslow Homer wood lithographs decorating the walls.

Like many Ranchers, the Pauls assumed their Florida home would be on the East Coast. Richard grew up in Coral Gables and was eager to return. But nothing they saw was quite what they wanted. A friend told them about Lakewood Ranch, and on their very first exploratory trip in 2012, a rainbow appeared over University Parkway. That was too good an omen to ignore.

Life in Florida had been busy — until the pandemic. There were charitable activities and myriad interests and hobbies, visiting children and grandchildren, and all the amenities available in Country Club East. Fortunately, their home proved to be an unexpected Continued on Page 98

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TOP: The home’s

exterior features a paved motor court.

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Continued from Page 96 oasis of sanity that kept them grounded during a difficult time. But there was one problem their beautiful home couldn’t solve: Their grandchildren up north – there are 10 of them — were growing up without them.

And so the Pauls are moving back to Pennsylvania. Their home was put on the market and sold immediately.

Soon a new family will be moving in to discover the delights of the lakefront home. Some of the lessons it teaches are obvious — the arrangement of the living area, the importance of private spaces — but others are best appreciated during a quiet afternoon in the living room, watching a hawk making lazy circles over the lake and, perhaps, if you’re lucky, a little piano music tinkling in the background.

RIGHT: The family room, tucked away from the main living area, provides an additional office plus play space for Fiver, the owners’ 2-year-old Lab.

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art and about

Spring Has Sprung As poets have observed for millennia, spring is the season of new life.

Here’s a sample of the lively art blossoming in our region.

Photo by Sorcha Augustine

Sarasota Contemporary Dance’s Monessa Salley

SU BYRON CONTRIBUTOR

and multimedia performance. “I’m a byproduct of my grandparents’ leap of faith and sacrifice,” she says. “My parents and other relatives were part of Pedro Pan, and this iteration is an homage to them.” Wilmott’s piece looks back in love at her grandparents’ hope and hard choices. Collaborator José G. Martínez’ original sound sculpture will add to the emotional power of Wilmott’s choreography.

The audio will include first-person accounts from Leymis’ family members reflecting on their childhood traumas.

April 28-May 1, at the FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota; SarasotaContemporaryDance.org.

Derek Han: A Musical Legacy Remembered. There’s some-

Coming to America. In the 1950s

and ’60s, thousands of Cubans fled Fidel Castro’s rule and made a new home in the United States. That includes the exiles of “Operación Pedro Pan” — more than 14,000 Cuban teenagers and children. These unaccompanied minors came to our shores from December 1960 to October 1962.

They’d been sent by their parents, who feared the Castro government planned to raise them in socialist indoctrination camps. Leymis Bolaños Wilmott knows this painful history full well. Her parents were part of this exodus because her grandparents had sent them. As a dancer, choreographer and Sarasota Contemporary Dance’s artistic director, she’s in a unique position to tell this Cuban-American story in her new “Cuban Project: Historias” — a powerful dance

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thing in the air — beautiful music, that is. The source? La Musica International Chamber Music Festival’s critically acclaimed artists, including violist Daniel Avashalomov, pianist Wu Han, Grammywinner guitarist Jason Vieaux and two-time Grammy nominee and violinist Jennifer Frautschi. They’ll be making themselves heard at four chamber music concerts at Sarasota Opera House (April 3, 6, 10 and 13) and open rehearsals at Sarasota Municipal Auditorium.

La Musica’s 2022 concert series will delve into sublime compositions by Beethoven, Ravel, Mozart and Dvo ák.

It also opens on a poignant note. The “Derek Han Memorial Concert” on April 3 will honor the legacy of the late Continued on Page 102

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Continued from Page 100 Derek Han, La Musica’s co-founder and associate artistic director. La Musica’s 36th season is packed with other events. Oh, and music students under 18 get in free if they’re with accompanying adults. To get the complete picture, visit their website at LaMusicaFestival.org.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to 2022. “Laughing Matters VI”

is taking a walk on the funny side at Florida Studio Theatre. It’s a musical comedy sketch revue in the tradition of “Capitol Steps” and the song parodies of “Weird” Al Yankovic. The show’s writers include Rebecca Hopkins, Kevin Allen, Sarah Durham, Stephan deGhelder and Jim Prosser, who’s also the one-man band burning up the keyboard. Minhui Lee is this year’s musical director. Nick Anastasia, Richie McCall and William Selby comprise the high-energy cast. The targets of their 2022 satiric snipe hunt are local, national and global. From Covid to construction to conspiracy theory, there’s enough mockery to go around for everybody. Through June 9 at Flor-

ida Studio Theatre, 1265 First St., Sarasota; FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

The Takács Quartet is Back! This innovative ensemble’s last Sarasota performance was in 2018. Thanks to the Sarasota Concert Association, they’re making a triumphant return in 2022 as part of SCA’s Great Performers Series. The string quartet’s virtuosos include violinists Edward Dusinberre and Harumi Rhodes, violist Geraldine Walther and cellist András Fejér. Each has their own distinctive musical personality; when they play together, the whole is more than the sum of its parts.

The concert will also feature Joyce Yang, a dazzling pianist who always mesmerizes audiences with her lyrical virtuosity. March 15 at Riverview Performing Arts Center, 1 Ram Way, Sarasota; SCAsarasota.org.

Positive Vibrations. Embracing Our Differences has celebrated diversity with the power of art since 2004. The most public display of this celebration?

The 50 billboard-sized artworks and inspirational quotations of EOD’s annual outdoor, juried art show. While

tens of thousands of submissions flood into EOD from around the globe, the 2022 “Best in Show” award went to Samantha Miller, a Sarasota-based artist. Miller’s “Cultivation” depicts a garden of flowers — some blooming, others withered or dead. The meaning? The artist notes that, “Just like plants, we grow depending on what we feed ourselves. If we continually live with hate, jealousy and resentment, then we will fail to bloom. By feeding ourselves positive attributes, we can grow and help others. If we continue to build each other up, we can create a healthy and thriving community.”

Through April 10, Bayfront Park, Sarasota; EmbracingOurDifferences.org.

The Takács Quartet will perform as part of the Sarasota Concert Association’s Great Performer Series on March 15.

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SARASOTA CONCERT ASSOCIATION PRESENTS 2022 Great Performers Series

Takács Quartet with pianist Joyce Yang March 15 | 7:30 pm Riverview PAC The Grammy-nominated pianist joins the internationally renowned Quartet in Ravel’s String Quartet and Schumann’s Piano Quintet.

back at the ranch

An Open Letter to Grandparents Grandchildren present the ideal situation.

As a grandparent, the pressure of raising these tiny lives is mostly lifted, and you get to enjoy all the highs without the lows.

A

Warsaw Philharmonic with pianist Bruce Liu April 4 | 7:30 pm | Van Wezel Andrey Boreyko leads the Orchestra in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 and Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with Bruce Liu, winner of the International Chopin Piano Competition.

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CONCERT

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Artists and programs are subject to change LWR LIFE

JESS HOLT IS A HIDDEN CREEK RESIDENT AND MOM TO SONS GAVIN, JACKSON AND HUDSON.

gentleman watching me struggle with my toddler once told me the reason he had children was so he could eventually have grandchildren. It certainly gave a good chuckle at the time, but it got me thinking.

Grandchildren present the ideal situation. As a grandparent, your role shifts. The pressure of raising these tiny lives is mostly lifted, and you get to enjoy all the highs without the lows (while also doling out endless “I-toldyou-so’s” to your now-grown children as they navigate a new parenting journey). In essence, you visit, take the kids out, do all the fun things, and give them back when someone needs a new diaper or melts down.

But why foster simple, surface-level interactions? You can create a valuable relationship with both your adult children and your newest family additions.

You can build a support system that is much deeper than simply treating toddlers and teens like royalty and returning them as sugar-ridden heathens.

Following are some general rules — commandments if you will — that encourage an everlasting and loving triad of generations.

Continued on Page 108

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Continued from Page 106

THOU SHALT FOLLOW THE LEADER

You are no longer the parent calling the shots. You watch (and sometimes cringe at) the decisions your children are now making with their own children. If Mom says there is a 30-minute limit on iPad time, it is your job to follow the same guidelines. If Dad says bedtime is 8 p.m., those kids should be brushing their teeth by 7:45. Don’t undermine their authority. If you disagree about a decision, it is absolutely OK to speak your piece, but do it privately. If there is an exception you’d like to make, ask permission to bend the rules. However, know that if you do break rules and decide to be the fun grandma who serves ice cream at 9 p.m., Mom and Dad may get a hotel for the night and leave the overtired 4-year-old in your care just a little bit longer.

small. Were there ever any birthday or holiday gifts that activated every last nerve in your body? Chances are, there was something loud involved. Don’t do that to your kids. Break the cycle. Toys can be fun, but please don’t intentionally punish your grown children with robotic nursery rhymes that haunt them at 3 a.m., or race car simulators that even noise-canceling headphones can’t drown out. If you feel so compelled to buy those items anyway, be warned.

These toys might mysteriously find their way back to you and take up permanent residency at Mimi and Papa’s!

THOU SHALT BUILD BRIDGES

It’s easy to be a best friend — the one who shows up with the exciting activities planned, sugary snacks to eat, or games with a million pieces to play. Being just a friend comes with far less work than being a role model. Kids need adults to look up to, and they crave that connection. So often, as children grow, they confide in THOU SHALT BE SEEN those close to them other than parents.

AND NOT HEARD Work to construct a trusting relationship Don’t speak unless spoken to. Just kid- with your grandchildren. Strive to be ding. Think back to when your kids were that person they come to with struggles,

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sadness, and excitement. You have their best interests at heart, have the life experience to offer advice, and are a direct channel to Mom/Dad in the event something serious needs to be addressed.

This is an opportunity to make lifelong impressions and help shape the person your grandchild will become. Plus, you get ultimate gloating rights when your granddaughter comes to you after a fight with Mom, or your grandson tells you first about his latest crush.

The phrase “life comes full circle” comes to mind. Being a grandparent gives an opportunity to create a beautiful full-circle effect, beginning at your roots. Foster that joyful and uplifting bond among grandparent, parent and grandchild that someday your grown kids will build for their grandchildren, and even further down the road, your grandchildren will provide for their grandchildren.

Now go embrace the joy of sharing embarrassing stories and photos about Mom/Dad and give all your energy to those little nuggets. Because, unlike Mom and Dad, you can go home and nap when you’re done!

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3NATIVES 3Natives - Acai & Juicery takes a healthy twist on the “fast food” mindset by serving healthy and convenient food at an affordable price.

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TM

1435 Main St. Sarasota, FL 941.312.4001 | DuvalsFLS.com

ED’S TAVERN

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A Jersey Joint in Lakewood Ranch, 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). We’re 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 26 ice cold draft selections plus over 31 flat screen TVs. Daily Specials, Trivia every Wednesday and Thursday. Live Music every Friday & Saturday night. Mon - Thur 11am - 12am, Fri - Sat 11am - 2am, Sun 11am - 11pm.

10719 Rodeo Dr, Lakewood Ranch 941.907.0400 | facebook.com/edstavernlwr

GROVE - RESTAURANT, PATIO & BALLROOM GROVE specializes in contemporary American offerings and onsite event planning. The menu is elevated yet approachable and locally inspired.

Overlooking the charming Main Street center, at Grove there’s room for everyone at the table!

Gathering spaces include a casual patio, a relaxing lounge, intimate private rooms and a lively, modern bar. We serve brunch, lunch and dinner.

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10670 Boardwalk Loop, Lakewood Ranch 941.893.4321 | www.GroveLWR.com

Lakewood Ranch at Main Street

KOJO Kojo has become Sarasota’s favorite new restaurant, and staple for many.

Exquisite modern Asian flavors. Fabulous selection of sake and cocktails.

Vegan and vegetarian options.

Stunning interior | Ample outdoor seating.

Covered parking garage.

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Make a reservation at: www.eatkojo.com Downtown Sarasota 1289 N. Palm Ave, Sarasota 941.536.9717

LOTSA LOBSTER NEW ENGLAND SEAFOOD MARKET

LIVE

r ou S! try MER A STE

AND CLA STUF FE MS TOO D !

Maine Lobster

Located just south of the Sarasota Square Mall.

Tues-Sat 11-6, Sun 11-4, Closed Monday

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Take them live or we’ll steam for you!

8780 S Tamiami Tr, Sarasota 941.918.2529 | LotsaLobsterSarasota.com

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LOBSTER, SHRIMP, HADDOCK & COD – OH MY! LOTSA LOBSTER is a Maine and New England seafood market providing fresh haddock, cod, swordfish, tuna, salmon, sea scallops, mussels, steamers, stuffed clams, crab cakes and LOTSA more! We have Chilean sea bass, smoked salmon, halibut, trout, cherry stones and quahogs. Did someone say CHOWDA? Try our clam chowder or Lobster bisque. But wait there is more… freezer treats include frog legs, octopus, salt cod, sardines and crawfish. For land lovers we have a variety of savory marinated meats from Danvers Butchery.

Don’t forget to preorder for the upcoming holidays - Easter Sunday on April 17th, Mother’s Day on May 8th and Memorial Day on May 30th.

Come on in or call ahead.

MCGRATH’S IRISH ALE HOUSE Experience a taste of Ireland in Lakewood Ranch; where our community is family. Enjoy a mix of family inspired Irish offerings, as well as everyone’s favorites like a Chopped Salad, a Pub style BLT, Traditional Shepherd’s Pie, and Fish & Chips. Alongside dinner, enjoy a Kilkenny, Guiness, or choose from our wide range of whiskeys and cocktails that will transport you to the heart of Ireland, all from Lakewood Ranch Main Street. At McGrath’s, we believe that no dish can be better than its ingredients.

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Mon - Thur 11am - 10pm, Fri - Sat 11am- 12am, Sun 9am - 10pm

8110 Lakewood Main St, Lakewood Ranch 941.210.4398 | www.mcgrathsirish.com

PINO’S

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Pino’s

Pino’s is back in a NEW location! Sarasota’s favorite, Chef Pino, formerly of Pino’s Italian Dining, is now offering a private dining experience.

Looking for the perfect night out? Chef Pino will be serving up his signature specials such as grilled octopus, ossobuco, homemade pasta, 16 oz. veal chops, fresh seafood, choices along with an a la carte menu.

Larger parties can enjoy the private wine room that seats up to 18 guests. Call to make your private party reservations now & ask about our At-Home Catering.

Come visit us at our NEW location inside of Appizza a pizza. Near Detweiler’s at the intersection of Lockwood & University. Visit our website for private dining menu.

6392 N Lockwood Ridge Rd, Sarasota 941.203.8467 | www.appizzaapizza.com

SPEAKS CLAM BAR SPEAKS CLAM BAR SPEAKS CLAM BAR

Come and visit the award-winning Speaks Clam Come and visit the award-winning Speaks Clam Come and visit the award-winning Speaks Clam Bar where fresh pasta is made daily. Enjoy craft Barwhere wherefresh fresh pasta made daily.

Enjoy craft Bar pasta is is made daily.

Enjoy craft cocktails and the finest Italian meals in the great cocktails and the finest Italian meals in the great cocktails and the finest Italian meals in the great clam bar tradition. clam clambar bartradition. tradition.

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For Take Out order online For Take Out order online at:at: For Take Out order online www.speaksclambar.com www.speaksclambar.com www.speaksclambar.com oror with our app: or with new app: withour ournew new app:

Lakewood || 941.232.7646 Lakewood Ranch 941.232.7646 LakewoodRanch Ranch | 941.232.7646 St. Armands Circle | St. 941.232.7633 St.Armands ArmandsCircle Circle| 941.232.7633 | 941.232.7633

PARTING GLANCE

Lakewood Ranch Digital Photography Club member Dick Foster captured this shot, which he titled “Be My Honey Bee.”

INTEGRIT Y •

Tenacity •

EXPERIENCE

Stacy’s work ethic and reputation in real estate has consistently placed her in the top 1% of all sales associates in the Sarasota and Manatee County Board of REALTORS®.

Specializing in luxury properties in both Sarasota and Manatee counties, Stacy’s award-winning service gives you the results you require and the experience you expect.

Connect with Stacy Haas today to discuss your goals.

Her professionalism and commitment remain unmatched.

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Sold over $115 million in sales volume in 2021

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Established Lakewood Ranch Specialist and Resident for more than a decade

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Five Star “Best in Client” Award 2007-2022

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Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist

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Million Dollar Guild (GUILD) Recognition® by The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing®

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Certified Masters Negotiations Expert

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Former interior design business owner

941.587.4359 StacyHaas@michaelsaunders.com

StacyHaas.com

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#1 Team for 2021, 2020 and 2019

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