20 Years in Lakewood Ranch

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2015

A SPECIAL SECTION

20 years in Lakewood Ranch Transforming timberland into a top-ranked development took more than just a vision. A tribute to the people who helped build Lakewood Ranch into a welcoming community over the past two decades.

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A PLACE TO CALL HOME

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t’s hard to imagine that Lakewood Ranch celebrates its 20th anniversary this month.

It feels just like yesterday that Lakewood Ranch developer Schroeder-Manatee Ranch hosted a country-inspired festival at the Sarasota Polo Club to commemorate Lakewood Ranch’s 15th year with hayrides, live entertainment and more.

And, yet, here we are, with a 20th celebration slated for Oct. 23, at Premier Sports Campus.

Thousands of residents and new homes later, the Lakewood Ranch of today feels much the same as it did when I moved here a decade ago, although there definitely have been changes — the widening of State Road 70; the creation of Premier Sports Complex; and the opening of a post office, to name a few.

Lakewood Ranch developer Schroeder-Manatee Ranch has held true to its commitment for maintaining the community’s aesthetics and its vision to create a place where families can live, work and play.

With the construction of about 3,500 homes slated for State Road 70 east off Lorraine Road and more developments coming online every day, it’s hard imagine that Lakewood Ranch’s buildout likely is another 20 or more years away.

And, it’s hard to comprehend that the bulk of SMR’s roughly 30,000-acre property remains

undeveloped.

And yet, although the new houses and shopping centers provide the foundation for the community’s growth, it’s the people who make it feel like home.

This special section provides updates on the plans for the former, but focuses on the latter: on the people who have been an integral part of making Lakewood Ranch what it is today.

From the business leaders who had the idea to turn agricultural land into residential development to the first residents who moved here when the community was in its infancy, it took vision to create this community.

We honor them for what they built, and look forward to enjoying it for the next 20 years.

— PAM EUBANKS, SENIOR EDITOR

File photos

WHAT’S INSIDE Anniversary celebrations

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Timeline: The way we were

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The future of the Ranch

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LWR: From vision to reality Ranch reflections Students: The next 20 years

Pages 8-11 Pages 12-20 Page 22

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CELEBRATIONS

LAKEWOOD RANCH Y

Strengthening the community for

10+ years!

File photo

Music on Main is a popular family event. Here, the Praters enjoy the outing.

LWR marks milestones

BY AMANDA SEBASTIANO STAFF WRITER

W

Don’t miss our Fall Festival, FREE community event held Friday, Oct. 16th, 5:30-8p. Children games, pony rides, bull riding, inflatables, refreshments and more! (tickets are purchased for food and rides).

hen Vanessa Baugh’s husband, Don, told her he wanted to open a second location of their store, Vanessa Fine Jewelry, on an “up and coming” shopping strip in Lakewood Ranch, she was hesitant.

The Baughs already had a store in the Westfield Southgate mall, and she didn’t know if they could handle another store.

But after their Sarasota store was robbed at gunpoint, Baugh was convinced the Ranch would be a better location for their business.

“The day after the robbery, we said we wanted to go to Main Street,” Baugh said. “Donny said it was like a light bulb went off ...

We needed to move to Lakewood Ranch.”

Vanessa Fine Jewelry was one of three stores to open Main Street in 2005. This month, the county commissioner and her husband are helping celebrate Main Street’s 10th anniversary.

“Time is the measure of business,” said Amanda Zipperer, property manager/leasing agent for Main Street. “It has been exciting to see the street evolve over the years. We see Main Street as the heart of Lakewood Ranch. It has become a local meeting place.”

Former MacAllisters Grill & Tavern owner Karen Ronney said the family-friendly area embodies the “down home, small town and family focused” feel Main Street merchants wanted the strip to bring to its community.

Become a Member at our Fall Festival and pay $0 Joining Fee (up to $50 savings at sign up)!

LWRBA TURNS 10

A BIG thank you to the Lakewood Ranch community and the surrounding communities for supporting the Y. A SPECIAL thank you to our members and program participants for being a part of the Y!

MANATEE YMCA

Lakewood Ranch Branch 5100 Lakewood Ranch Blvd Bradenton, Florida 34211 www.manateeymca.org

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TIME TO CELEBRATE Check out these events that mark major Ranch milestones.

MAIN STREET

Main street will celebrate its 10th anniversary from 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 16.

The block party will feature music, food, beer and wine trucks, a kids’ zone and live music.

The event is free and parking is available behind Main Street. Coolers are prohibited, but leashed pets are allowed.

LAKEWOOD RANCH

Lakewood Ranch celebrates its 20th anniversary 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, at the Premier Sports Campus.

The free event will feature entertainment, kids’ activities, giveaways, food and beer vendors and more.

Please bring a non-perishable food item to be donated to Meals on Wheels Plus of Manatee.

In December, Ronney sold the restaurant, which was one of the first eateries to open on Main, to open The Granary on Lakewood Ranch Boulevard, but she still visits Main Street often. “Being family oriented is what Lakewood Ranch is all about,” she said.

Throughout the years, the Baughs have watched the strip grow from three stores to the bustling center it has become today.

“Ten years means something pretty special for me,” Baugh said. “It gets me all teared up.

My husband and my life have absolutely been affected by Lakewood Ranch.”

In addition to Main Street’s anniversary, the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance is also celebrating a decade of growth.

The organization, which was founded 10 years ago by three local businessmen who wanted to “bridge the gap” between businesses in Manatee and Sarasota counties, has more than 500 members.

The alliance is celebrating a decade in Lakewood Ranch, alongside Main Street merchants at the upcoming celebration.

The alliance is co-hosting the event, which is also designed to honor the busi-

ness group.

“Ten years says that we are becoming a preeminent force among businesses in this region,” Executive Director Heather Kasten said For Kasten, the alliance is an irreplaceable group that is instrumental in fostering lasting relationships in the business world.

“If you are a business in Lakewood Ranch or you want to connect with businesses or residents, being a member of the Alliance will connect you,” Kasten said. “Our new tagline is ‘The Power of Connection.’ That’s what we’re all about.”

LAKEWOOD RANCH 20TH ANNIVERSARY

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Historic Siesta Key Campus: Pre-K-Grade 5 | 444 Reid Street, Sarasota, FL 34242 Uihlein Campus at Lakewood Ranch: Grades 6-12 | 5950 Deer Drive, Sarasota, FL 34240

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The way we were...

The firsts of Lakewood Ranch

Oct. 12, 2002 First fire station, at 9136 Town Center Parkway, opens

Feb. 23, 1994 — First ground breaking in community, as construction starts for Summerfield Park neighborhood.

June 23, 1996 — Summerfield Park sells out November 1996 — Corporate park secures tenants March 1997 — Legacy Golf Club opens

Aug. 24, 1998 — Lakewood Ranch High School opens.

It started with 900 freshmen and sophomore students.

Nov. 6, 1999 — Braden River Bridge opens December 1999 — First Publix opens August 2000 — First restaurant opens: First Watch November 2000 — First day care, Kids R Kids, opens June 5, 2001 — Holiday Inn opens

Feb. 28, 2003 — Lorraine Road opens March 24, 2003 — YMCA opens

Above: Caitlyn Seymour received her official fire safety booklet geared toward children from Cinder the Clown.

Right; Steven Cecil and his son, Phillip.

Aug. 26, 2004 — Lakewood Ranch Medical Center opens Sept. 13, 2004 — LECOM welcomes students

December 2005 — Main Street opens

Brian Kalmbach was one of the new firefighters stationed at the Braden River Fire Rescue Station No. 4 in Lakewood Ranch.

Nov. 12, 2008 — Post office opens March 2011 Premier Sports Campus opens

August 29, 2011 An effort to incorporate Lakewood Ranch as a municipality fails.

Mercedes Movilla, SMR President and CEO Rex Jensen, Director of Sports Tim Mulqueen and Michael Muscarella. Movilla and Muscarella won the name and logo contests.

May 21, 2014 — Villages of Lakewood Ranch South approved.

It will add more than 5,100 homes south of University Parkway.

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...The way we’ll be LAKEWOOD RANCH CENTRE E RY

Major landmarks: Intercoastal Medical Group, Lost Creek Resort Apartments Multifamily units: 800 have been developed, 2,400 units remain Single-family homes: 1,370 have been developed, 30 remain Office and retail space: 237,000 square feet developed, 2.9 million remain

O

7% - developed office and retail

47% developed residential

NORTHWEST SECTOR

4 4TH A VE

.

46% - developed residential 0% - office and commercial

LORRAINE RD.

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Major landmarks: Esplanade Golf & Country Club Multifamily units: 400 developed, 300 remain Single family homes: 1,700 developed, 2,100 remain Office and commercial: 200,000 square feet, not developed

EAST OF LORRAINE ROAD PARCEL A future development area owned

by SMR that is approximately 8,000 acres. Its future land use is zoned mixed use, and it is currently not entitled. There is a possible school site located within this parcel, but the exact location has not been determined.

Premier Sports Complex

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CYPRESS BANKS N C H BLV D .

Major landmarks: Country Club East Commercial: 128,000 square feet developed, 86,000 square feet remain Residential units: 5,630 developed, 370 remain

RA

Ritz-Carlton Members Golf Club

59% - developed commercial

LAKEWOOD NATIONAL/ BRIDGEWATER EAST COMMUNITIES Approved singlefamily homes: 1,999 Approved multifamily units: 1,110

Major landmarks: The Lake Club, Bridgewater, Harvest United Methodist Church Multifamily units: 1,430 developed, 270 remain Single family homes: 1,830 developed, 470 remain Office and commercial: 1.4 million square feet developed, 349,000 square feet remain 81% - developed residential

A

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E R S AV E

80% - developed office and commercial

ST UNIVERSIT Y PKW Y.

n

Sarasota Polo Club

HERITAGE RANCH CONSERVATION AREA

c h Blv d . Exten s io

Within Lakewood Ranch, there are more than 2,500 acres of conservation area. The largest parcel is Heritage Ranch. This land contains 2,000 acres of open space that will not be developed.

R an

34% - developed

UNIVERSITY LAKES

55+ retirement community Approved single-family homes: 1,300 THE M

CORPORATE PARK

– JESSICA SALMOND

DEL WEBB LAKEWOOD RANCH

L AKEWOO D

93% - developed residential

Major landmarks: Mobil gas station, Lucky Pelican restaurant Office, industrial and retail: 2.2 million square feet developed, 4.1 million remaining

ver the past 20 years, Lakewood Ranch has gone from pastureland to one of the top masterplanned communities in the country, with more than 10,000 homes.

But it’s not finished.

This is a map of the DRI’s (development of regional impact) that comprise Lakewood Ranch.

It shows what has been developed so far, along with what’s planned for the next 20 years.

.

RD

SMR MYAKKA 2,200 acres of property designated for future development.

Lakewoo d

There are plans for multiple new streets and thoroughfares, including extending Lakewood Ranch Boulevard to Fruitville Road and connecting 44th Avenue west so that it extends to Anna Maria Island.

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FRUIT VILLE RD.

WATERSIDE — NOT YET DEVELOPED The Waterside DRI, also known as the Villages of Lakewood Ranch South, is located south of University Parkway. It will have a school site available for the Sarasota County School District, although the exact location is unknown.

Approved residential: 5,144 units Approved office and commercial: 390,000 square feet Approved public and civic: 60,000 square feet

N 1 / 2 MILE

Map by Nicole Thompson

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PIONEERS OF THE

RANCH

It took more than a plan to transform Lakewood Ranch from agriculture land into a thriving community. It took, vision, guts and fortitude from its leaders.

Photo courtesy of the Milwaukee County Historical Society

Edward, August, Wilhelm and Alfred Uihlein, who took over the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Co. in 1875, are pictured here in 1889. Their family owns Lakewood Ranch developer Schroeder-Manatee Ranch.

UIHLEIN FAMILY

T

he roughly 30,000 acres that comprise Lakewood Ranch originally started as a timber plantation at the hand of Milwaukee businessman John Schroeder, who began assembling property in the area in the early 1900s.

Milwaukee’s Uihlein family, founders of the Schlitz Brewing Co., began acquiring the property in 1922. And, over the years, the Uihleins began expanding the land’s uses, adding cattle ranching, citrus and vegetable farms, among other ventures.

The family primarily leased its property to tomato farmers, until Sarasota County began talking about putting an airport on its property in the late 1970s.

“The owners thought, ‘Wow, we better start taking charge of our land and deciding what goes on it,’” said John Clarke, former CEO of Schroeder-Manatee Ranch.

They brought in Mary Fran Carroll, a businesswoman from Chicago, in 1980 to preside over the board of directors so no one Uihlein would be bigger than another. Soon thereafter, they began pursing the concept of

BREWING BUSINESS

“They’re big believers of if you do something with the right quality, it will get better and last.” residential development, hiring Carroll as SMR’s first CEO in 1984.

Although the family manages to avoid the spotlight locally, it continues to influence SMR’s policies through its board of directors, composed of 11 people representing branches of the Uihlein family who meet quarterly.

“They’re not lightweight people,” said current SMR President and CEO Rex Jensen. “They’re very conscientious people.

They’re long-term in outlook, committed to the property.

They’re big believers of if you do something with the right quality, it will get better and last.

“The board and the shareholders are crucial,” he said. “Without them, (Lakewood Ranch) wouldn’t be successful.”

— PAM EUBANKS

Although the Uihlein family, owner of Lakewood Ranch developer Schroeder-Manatee Ranch, has managed to keep a low profile locally, the family’s name is synonymous with its hometown of Milwaukee.

It made its mark running the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Co., starting with Edward, August, Wilhelm and August Uihlein. (Their relative, August Krug, had founded the brewery in the 1840s.

His widow had married Joseph Schlitz in 1858.)

“Those four brothers took it over when Joseph Schlitz was lost at sea in 1875,” said Kevin Abing, archivist with the Milwaukee County Historical Society.

“They’re the ones that really helped the brewery take off. At one point, Schlitz was the largest producer of beer in the country, if not the world.”

The brewery’s slogan?

“The beer that made Milwaukee famous.”

Robert A. Uihlein Jr.,

grandson of August Uihlein, was a polo enthusiast for whom an annual tournament at the Sarasota Polo Club is named, and ran the company starting in 1961. The brewery sold to Detroit-based Stroh Brewery Co. in 1982.

His son, Robin Uihlein, served as club president for the Sarasota Polo Club, while his other son, Jamie Uihlein, started the Polo Under the Palms fundraiser for MD Anderson Cancer Center with his wife, Mary, and son and daughter-inlaw, James and Christie Uihlein. James Uihlein is a professional polo player at the Sarasota Polo Club.

In Milwaukee, family members remain involved in philanthropy. The Marcus Center for the Performing Arts in Milwaukee bears the family’s name, with Uihlein Hall, a 2,305seat theater.

“They’re still forging a legacy here in Milwaukee,” Abing said.

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PIONEERS OF THE RANCH MARY FRAN CARROLL CEO FROM 1984 TO 1994

M

ary Fran Carroll gained interest in SMR’s operations before she became its leader, representing an Uihlein family member on the board of directors starting in 1976. At that time, she led Northern Trust’s Family Business Division in Chicago and served to “keep an eye” on what was going on with the property.

She became chairwoman of the SMR board in 1980, and emerged as the company’s full-time figurehead four years later.

Although she traded her white gloves and business suit for cowboy boots, Carroll remained a refined business professional when she agreed to lead the company forward as its first CEO in 1984.

Tasked with making the company profitable for the third generation, Carroll saw the development of Interstate 75 in the mid-1980s as the pathway for residential development.

She brought in John Clarke, an agricultural consultant, to evaluate and direct the company’s agricultural assets, while she pursued residential development opportunities.

“We weren’t in the Sahara Desert anymore,” she told the East County Observer in an October 2010 interview. “That led me to development.”

She first envisioned a resortstyle golf community, with condominiums, a resort and a hotel,

File photo

A bridge over the Braden River on Lorraine Road is named in honor of Mary Fran Carroll. It was dedicated to her in February 2004, when Lorraine opened between Greenbrook Boulevard and the Lakewood Ranch Country Club.

among other features, and led the charge to secure Lakewood Ranch’s first major development approval, called the Cypress Banks Development of Regional Impact for that project.

“She was very community focused. She had to establish the respect of the community,” said SMR CFO Tony Chiofalo. “The owners weren’t here much. They needed somebody full time to represent the Ranch in the community. She convinced the world

— and it’s still true today — that we’re here to stay. She built trust. If we do something, you can still call us up on it 10 years from now.”

The Cypress Banks DRI was approved by Manatee County in 1989, and although the vision for the future Lakewood Ranch changed, Carroll led the way, helping the Uihlein family unite in decisions about their property’s future.

Carroll, who worked at SMR

until 1997 and died in 2014, also focused her efforts on the creation of the Lakewood Ranch Corporate Park, for which she lobbied the Sarasota County Commission to gain approval.

“She would shake her finger at them and would say, emphatically, ‘You’re going to be proud of what we do.’ They believed her when she said that,” said Rex Jensen, current SMR president and CEO.

— PAM EUBANKS

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PIONEERS OF THE RANCH JOHN CLARKE CEO FROM 1994 - 2005

U

nlike his predecessor Mary Fran Carroll, who loved the spotlight, the soft-spoken John Clarke was a pragmatic businessman who preferred one-on-one meetings to microphones.

“You don’t get very far with big public announcements,” said Clarke, who worked as SMR’s president from 1989 until his appointment as CEO in 1994.

“It’s the personal contacts with the people making decisions that’s important.”

Aside from making SMR’s agricultural businesses profitable, Clarke also began steering Lakewood Ranch’s development away from Carroll’s original plan of a golf resort-style community.

SMR’s leaders used an economic downturn in the early ’90s to explore master-planned communities around the country and re-create their vision for residential development on the property that now consists of the Summerfield community.

File photo

“We concluded we should be thinking in terms of a new hometown,” said Clarke, now 78.

“People wanted to live, work and play there. They wanted to call it

their hometown.”

Although Clarke’s background was in agriculture, having been raised on a farm in Kenya and owning an agricultural con-

The buildings that now house The Pinnacle Academy, a school that specializes in autism and related behavioral disorders at 6215 Lorraine Road, used to be Schroeder-Manatee Ranch’s headquarters. Pinnacle purchased the property from SMR in August 2012.

— PAM EUBANKS

Marking milestones

A plaque paying tribute to the original 50 homeowners in Lakewood Ranch is located at Summerfield Park, in front of the pavilion.

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Humble beginnings

sulting business after moving to the United States in 1977, Clarke grasped the benefits of development.

“I understood land,” he said.

“It’s a matter of hiring the best planning team. I had the right people.”

He also focused on ensuring the future Lakewood Ranch would have plenty of parks, churches and economic development. He served as chairman, at various times, for both Sarasota and Manatee chambers of commerce, and he served on both counties’ economic development councils.

He also wanted to make sure SMR remained a good steward of the land.

“I suppose what I was most passionate about was we set aside considerable amounts of land,” Clarke said, noting the 2,000-acre Heritage Ranch preserve east of Lorraine Road and south of University Parkway, and the 400-acre Long Swamp, south of university and just east of I-75. “The drainage of Long Swamp had been blocked and the wetlands were full of invasive species and the uplands were dying. We managed to get that going. It’s one of the most beautiful spots on the Ranch.”

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PIONEERS OF THE RANCH Strategy shift

REX JENSEN CEO FROM 2005 - PRESENT

M

ary Fran Carroll and John Clarke may have envisioned Lakewood Ranch as a top-notch community, but Rex Jensen, current president and CEO, may have been the only one to truly grasp how big it could be.

Mary Fran always thought at least a portion of the Ranch would remain agricultural, with cows wandering in pastures.

“Not in my world,” Jensen said.

SMR’s CFO Tony Chiofalo said of all SMR’s top leaders, Jensen, who started with SMR in 1990 as its vice president of planning, has cast the biggest vision.

“He has the ability to sit down with a blank piece of paper and (envision possibilities),” Chiofalos said.

And perhaps, Jensen is the most tenacious.

“You can’t give up on a project the first time you hear somebody say they don’t believe in it,” Jensen said.

Under his tenure, he’s seen the company through the real estate market downturn that gave both him and Chiofalo sleepless nights as they tried to figure out how to maintain Lakewood Ranch’s aesthetics without sufficient revenues.

He also promoted bold economic initiatives, such as the Springbok Academy and Spa sports facility/hotel off Uni-

versity Parkway and a regional one-stop shop for economic initiatives called The DEAL (Design and Economic Acceleration Laboratory). Those particular projects floundered, but others, including SMR’s own brainchild, Premier Sports Campus, have flourished. Since opening in 2011, the sports venue has attracted international soccer tournaments and is now the training grounds for the newly created Major League Football organization.

Although plans for a multiuse entertainment complex that included a hockey arena previ-

ously fell through, Jensen still envisions some sort of largescale entertainment complex for the former property, located off what is now Rangeland Parkway.

What will go there, however, remains undetermined.

And, Jensen sees expanding the community’s housing options as a necessity for moving forward. While assisted-living facilities, and similar age-related projects, are being built, he also expects Lakewood Ranch to have housing targeting millenials in the future.

“I look at it as, ‘What does a community of 20,000-plus

humans need to have?’” Jensen said.

But Jensen doesn’t pretend to know Lakewood Ranch’s future.

He wants to make sure the quality of the community remains consistent and that infrastructure improvements coincide or precede growth.

“People keep asking me where this is going, and I don’t know and I don’t care,” he said, adding demands of the real estate market will dictate how growth occurs and where. “The market place will evolve 10 times before this is said and done.”

— PAM EUBANKS

When Lakewood Ranch began, SMR sold the community one residential parcel at a time.

“We had to build the community, sell the community,” SMR President and CEO Rex Jensen said. “We had to pull teeth to get builders. We had to do all the work.”

SMR CFO Tony Chiofalo adds: “We had no choice to do anything but lot-by-lot development.”

Although SMR continues with that style of development in Country Club East and The Lake Club, it has shifted its development strategy in recent years as it has established its brand as a Top 10 master-planned community. Now, SMR is selling larger parcels of land for others to develop holistically, as demonstrated with communities such as Central Park, Esplanade and the future Del Webb, Lakewood National and Bridgewater East projects.

“Why should we take all the capital risks?” Jensen said. “We developed this strategy of selling property in larger blocks. Now, it becomes logical to step back and let other people take (that risk).”

But SMR still maintains control by approving plans for communities.

“We’re still the glue that holds it all together,” Chiofalo said.

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RANCH REFLECTIONS

DON O’LEARY

Pam Eubanks

N

icknamed the “mayor” of Lakewood Ranch, Don O’Leary, 81, has been a staple in the community since moving into his home in Edgewater in 1997.

A firefighter for 30 years, O’Leary served as the original Lakewood Ranch Community Development District 2 resident supervisor. He now serves as a commissioner East Manatee Fire Rescue District board.

When I looked at this property, the model was still being finished. I took my wife to see it the next day. She said, ‘There’s nothing green here.’ I asked how much it was for the lot. They didn’t know. They had to look it up, $82,000. I said, ‘It’ll be here.

I’ll take it.’ Standing here on all that shell and I knew this was going to be gorgeous. You look at the lake — how can you miss this view?

I was the first resident on the CDD 2 board. It was developer controlled at the time. It was four against one, and then three against two. Every hand would go up, and I’d say, “We have 2,000 people living on the Ranch already and we have no firehouse here. Finally, we got that. It’s the one by Walgreens (on Town Center Parkway).

All the fire houses have a chili cook off every year. I started that. I went to Rex and asked if we could do it on Main Street. He said, “One exception. You have to do it every year.” It still goes on. We have 10 fire departments here. The first time we had it was August — too hot for chili. Now, we have it in October/November when it’s cooler.

It’s the people that make Lakewood Ranch special.

Ninety-eight percent of them are friendly. They’re open.

When the hospital opened, I was on the board. That was a big plus. We needed that. You had a lot of traffic.

For about six years, I collected food for The Food Bank of Manatee with two friends.

The last year we did it was about three years ago. We had 3,000 pounds of food and about $10,000 in donations. The idea was leave the bag of groceries at the end of your driveway and we’d pick it up. Leave a note if you wanted to donate money, and we’d come to the door. It was a very simple thing.

When we moved here, I was still playing tennis in The Meadows. I was the first member of the Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club and the tennis center. Almost a year and a half we were here before they started the tennis courts and the country club. The club used to be a trailer, and I signed up.

In 2003, one of the neighbors in Edgewater Sound passed away and he was a colonel in the Army for 40 years. His wife said he was going to be buried in Arlington, but it was January and they don’t bury there until April or May. She asked if we could use the gazebo for the funeral service. I talked with the neighbors and they said they didn’t mind at all. We went ahead with it. We had the VFW here. One guy played the trumpet. We had a 15-gun salute — of course, we only have five guns. Rex (Jensen) almost died when he heard. It was a good turnout.

The biggest challenge will be becoming a city. I don’t know who’s going to start it. I’m not, but it’s going to be time to start that discussion again. We have so many people here since we knocked it down. We have doubled the population.

I don’t know what’s going to happen in 20 years. At 20 years old now, it looks new. Hopefully, they’ll incorporate.

— PAM EUBANKS

VANESSA BAUGH

V

anessa Baugh got her first glimpse of Lakewood Ranch in 2004 while working on a friend’s Manatee County Commission campaign.

Baugh was in Lakewood Ranch every day, and it was during that time she heard about Schroeder-Manatee Ranch’s plans for Main Street.

A year later, Baugh and her husband, Don, opened Vanessa Fine Jewelry on Main Street.

The Baughs moved to Lakewood Ranch in 2010 and in 2012, Baugh was elected to the Board of Manatee County Commissioners for District Five, which includes Lakewood Ranch.

One of the most wonderful things about Lakewood Ranch is the open space. I can look out my back window and see bobcats, deer, raccoons, rabbits, all different types of wildlife. You still have the feeling of a rural area in an amazing and beautiful master-planned community. It’s really interesting.

There are so many things that have taken place over the years. I remember one time, before we actually opened the store, going to SMR for a party. It was kind of like a picnic back in that day. There really weren’t a lot of places to get together. This was a huge barbecue for lack of better word. Hundreds of people attended and it was wonderful.

I miss those days. It was just a great get-together. Nowadays, there are so many options. It’s really changed over the years from an extremely small community to one of some depth.

We’re actually starting to remodel now instead of just building new. It’s the first sign that we’re gaining experience and getting some age to us, and yet we’re still moving forward.

It’s a great time to be in Lakewood Ranch.

I think eventually, in the years to come, we will be a city. We still have a lot of growing to go through, and as a resident and business owner, it’s going to be interesting to watch and see what goes on and where the continuing growth takes us. I think Lakewood Ranch is always going to keep the beauty and sense of

FUN FACTS

To explore more about the history of Lakewood Ranch, we asked some of its longest and most prominent residents for their memories and what makes this community a special place to live.

Jen Blanco

“There’s a great sense of community in Lakewood Ranch. If a resident needs help, we’re all there to help each other.” community that we have today.

There’s a strong sense of community in the area.

There’s a great sense of community in Lakewood Ranch. If a resident needs help, we’re all there to help each other. There’s such a strong sense of giving in this area. That’s what makes us exceptional. It’s easy to be proud to represent District 5. It’s a wonderful area and the people are fantastic.

I can’t help but be proud. My business is there. I live there.

I get to live, work and play in Lakewood Ranch every day. It’s the best of the best.

How did Lakewood Ranch get it’s name?

Former SMR CEO John Clarke says although hundreds of names were thrown around, Lakewood Ranch stuck because of the size of the property, the countryside, lakes and woods.

“The worry was, it was a rather long name,” Clarke recalled. “Not short, like Weston, or others.”

— JEN BLANCO

LAKEWOOD RANCH 20TH ANNIVERSARY

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RANCH REFLECTIONS

A

fter tiring of cold temperatures in Pittsburgh, Patrick and Holly Wright began thinking about moving to Florida.

In 2003, the Wrights picked a lot in Greenbrook Village sight unseen and moved with their three daughters Savannah, Sydney and Payton.

In May 2006, Payton was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer, medulloepithelioma, and a year later, she died at the age of 5.

Vowing never to stop fighting to support children with brain cancer, Patrick and Holly Wright created the Payton Wright Foundation in Payton’s memory.

Holly: We drove around Lakewood Ranch and thought ‘This is it.’ It was all because of the kids. We wanted to get here in time for Savannah to start elementary school. There was just this feeling of community in Lakewood Ranch. At the time, we thought it was huge.

Holly: I wanted to see where we were going to be living in Greenbrook. Our house was the first one that went up besides the model. We were supposed to be on a lake, which wasn’t finished at the time, and I remember saying to Patrick ‘That’s not a lake.

That’s a wading pool.’

Holly: I was very sad leaving Pittsburgh because it’s an incredible city ... It was hard to adjust, but once we moved into our new home everything was new and the people were extremely friendly. I met so

many friends because everyone was coming from somewhere different. It was your own fault if you didn’t make a friend because they really tried to make this a community.

Holly: Lorraine Road was two lanes at the time, and it was surrounded by all of these little purple wildflowers. You could just see purple forever.

McNeal Elementary was brand, spanking new, and it was next to this beautiful purple field.It was like this purple blanket. That’s probably my favorite memory.

Holly: The first or second year that we were here, at the polo field there was this big Halloween festival. There were hayrides, vendors and music. No one put on a show. You just went there to have fun and for the kids to have a good time.

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PATRICK AND HOLLY WRIGHT

Patrick: The community deserves a really big pat on the back. Whether it’s in regard to the schools or if someone is in need or sick, everyone rallies together and is willing to help one another and support one another through the good and the bad. We’re a really good support system for each other.

It’s a wonderful community. We owe a lot to Lakewood Ranch. If it weren’t for this community, we wouldn’t be here doing what we do.

Holly: We’ve been able to do so much for the foundation because of this community, whether it’s through donations, volunteers or just spreading awareness. We need everyone to rally and be a voice for children.

Because of this community, we’ve been able to help as many families as we have. That’s a heartfelt “thank you” to Lakewood Ranch for allowing us to help families in need.

Holly: We want to show Lakewood Ranch how appreciative we are. Their love and support meant so much to us, and we just want to continue their good work. The way the community rallied around us, we really can’t say enough.

Patrick: The community held us up. They helped us through one of the most horrific times of our lives. Lakewood Ranch will always have a piece of our heart.

— JEN BLANCO

Jen Blanco

Then 1998

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RANCH REFLECTIONS LOU MARINACCIO

A

former employee of General Electric Co., Allstate and Prudential, Lou Marinaccio built a career in business and insurance.

Marinaccio started Gallagher MGA in 1984, and moved it in 1999 from Chicago to Lakewood Ranch. His company grew from six employees to 40.

In 2005, Marinaccio, now 71, co-founded the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance over a series of coffee conversations.

Today, that group has more than 500 members and is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

When Gallagher MGA moved to Lakewood Ranch, we were looking for a new neighborhood, a place where we could recruit new people. We were looking for things Southwest Florida has to offer, great weather, access to beaches and amusement parks just to name a few.

But when we got to Lakewood Ranch, there was nothing around but a few stoplights and some buildings. The greatest challenge my wife and I had was finding a place to grab a cup of coffee and relax. We went off the Ranch until there were more options out here. But imagine no mall, no strip malls, nothing at Market Street and no Main Street, yet. There were mostly two-lane roads. There was no retail. It was more residential.

But you could sense this area would be developed. You could see the two wide lanes would later become four lanes. Site plan signs showed there was intention for growth. Our challenge was getting people here.

CHERYL MCGREW We were a new employer, but a dynamic national company and we were starting out in a growing area. People who consider moving to Florida want something better than what they had. And we offered that, Lakewood Ranch would offer that.

Lakewood Ranch is an excellent place for families, with broad educational opportunities from preschool to college.

We offer school for all those grade levels all within one community. There are opportunities here for financial growth, to develop as an employee or employer. The community helps support a number of nonprofits; there are opportunities for all faiths and we have venues for all different types of sports — lacrosse, polo, baseball, football — all within two to five miles.

We’re a community within a community. I couldn’t have said that in ’99.

The Ranch is starting to attract technology companies. I see that continuing. We’re doing a great job of attracting a strong medical employee base. We’re becoming very employment diverse, which will continue to attract more large companies to the area. Because the area is growing so much, there are also quick growth opportunities for businesses in the Ranch.

There are a number of financial groups here and networking groups, such as the Alliance, to help grow businesses.

We have a strong business community here, and Lakewood Ranch is going to keep that going.

— AMANDA SEBASTIANO

Jen Blanco

C

heryl McGrew with her husband, Greg, built their home in River Club in 1992, and she has been an educator in Manatee County for 23 years. She was one of the original teachers at Gilbert W. McNeal Elementary School, and returned there this year after being selected as the principal.

She has been able to watch both the community and education systems develop around her.

We had lived on the west coast of Bradenton. Some of our friends invited us to come play golf at River Club. We were drawn to this area. At the time, it was a very good financial choice, because it was not as expensive as it is now.

If you can imagine, at River Club Boulevard and State Road 70 there was not a stop light, and there was one lane each way. There was no LWR, no gas stations, no grocery stories.

There was nothing out here. It was pitch black, and we bought a telescope because you could see so many stars. Now, no way, with all the lights.

There was no shopping, no restaurants. It was really the country. I either went to the Cash & Carry right by U.S. 301 or the Winn Dixie on Fruitville. You had to go on a half-hour drive.

When the Publix went in on S.R. 70 (near Tara Boulevard), my friends and I did cartwheels in the parking lot.

We heard of Lakewood Ranch, it was master planned, so there were little rumors about it, but no one knew what it was and we couldn’t have dreamed about how big it would become. I love it. It’s amazing. It has become its own community, which is what I love about it. Even though we’re in a big town, you feel connected. When you go to Main Street, Music on Main, or the different little restaurants, we see each other. It’s a great little community. People are from everywhere and yet we have that connection.

I think the growth of education here is good; it’s a blessing and a curse, in a way. We have beautiful schools, we’re able to meet a lot of needs, but at times it can be frustrating because of the growth — buildings get full, class size, etc. But I think we’ve really paved the way for education, and we’re model schools.

We’ve become what 21st century schools are supposed to be. We have such good community support and parent involvement; all the schools are far above the core. You can’t put a price on family involvement.

In the next 20 years, I think Lakewood Ranch will become more of a self-sufficient community. Lorraine Road and S.R. 70 will be the center of Lakewood Ranch. With all the rowing and sports events happening out here, we’ll be more on-the-map and world renowned. It’s one of the top planned communities to live in the country. It’s already on its way. It’s an amazing community, we’re very multigenerational, we embrace families and retirement. I predict amazing things. I’m proud to live here.

— JEN BLANCO

FUN FACTS

Amanda Sebastiano

Polo proxy

Schroeder-Manatee Ranch’s second CEO, John Clarke, says the creation of the Sarasota Polo Club in 1991 helped generate support for development east of Interstate 75.

“We were desperate to get people to look at the Ranch,” Clarke says. “We squeezed

it through as an agricultural operation.”

The approval included 150 acres for polo, as well as 450 acres, divided into 45, 10-acre lots for residential properties with barns to accommodate polo players and others.

Hole Heaven

Seven golf courses meander through Lakewood Ranch’s communities. All of them are 36 holes — someone could play 252 holes of golf in Lakewood Ranch.

LAKEWOOD RANCH 20TH ANNIVERSARY

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CONGRATULATIONS LAKEWOOD RANCH 20 Years of Picture-Perfect Living Two decades ago, we watched with delight as Lakewood Ranch began to flourish into the unparalleled master-planned community it is today, and ever since we have taken great pride in helping our customers find their place here. In 2006, we opened a state-of-the-art real estate office — custom-designed for Lakewood Ranch residents — to enhance the award-winning service we provide throughout the East County area.

Michael Saunders & Company has been successfully helping homebuyers and sellers achieve their real estate goals on Florida’s Gulf Coast for the past 40 years. As a locally owned and operated company with strong roots in this community, we are very much at home at Lakewood Ranch, and we look forward to assisting you with your real estate needs.

M I C H A E L S AU N D E R S .C O M | 8325 Lakewood Ranch Blvd. | Lakewood Ranch, FL 34202 | 941.907.9595

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2015

RANCH REFLECTIONS THE REV. CATHERINE FLUCK-PRICE There were parcels available on Lorraine for four churches.

We bought two of them and Cornerstone Church of Lakewood Ranch bought one. I remember when they were trying to pick a name for the street: Gospel or Covenant Way? We liked Covenant better.

Our home was built in Summerfield Glades. The property was an open dirt field.

Our house was the first one to open. We welcomed new neighbors as they moved in. Some of us are still there. Every year, we have a Halloween block party on the cul de sac where we live.

Amanda Sebastiano

The Revs. Catherine Fluck-Price and Steve Price

We first came to the area in April 1997, and I remember there was a sign at the information center that said ‘421 families and growing.’ University Parkway had two lanes, and there was nothing east of the interstate, just dirt roads past the Lakewood Ranch Country Club community.

We thought we were in the middle of nowhere. We started conversations with SchroederManatee Ranch to learn about the area. And when we saw all they had planned, I thought, “Wow, this is going to be big.”

In June or July of ’97, Roger Hill, previous Ranch manager, took us on a tour of the area in a pickup truck. We were driving through orange groves and back roads. It was so bumpy I was surprised I didn’t go into labor.

“Lakewood Ranch is inclusive and welcoming. It’s a small town, but not the kind where you won’t be accepted if you haven’t lived there for generations.”

Lakewood Ranch is inclusive and welcoming. It’s a small town, but not the kind where you won’t be accepted if you haven’t lived there for generations. We all have different backgrounds.

I know Lakewood Ranch has plans to grow. There’s going to be more growth near us on Lorraine Road. It’s exciting.

Lakewood Ranch has a commitment to being a small town, hometown, but it’s also focused on developing communities as it continues to grow. There are so many new neighborhoods and there’s room for more.

— AMANDA SEBASTIANO

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he Rev. Catherine Fluck-Price, who has more than 20 years of experience in church leadership roles, doesn’t shy away from a challenge.

In 1997, she was pregnant with her son Sid, when she moved to Lakewood Ranch with her husband, Rev. Steve Price, and daughter, Shelby, to launch a new church.

The Prices held services in 1998 at Gocio Elementary in Sarasota.

Their congregation worshipped there because no building east of the interstate could hold a congregation except Braden River elementary and middle schools, which were occupied by other groups.

They later worshipped in the gym at Lakewood Ranch High School until 2004, when Harvest United Methodist Church was built.

Today, the church has more than 700 members who attend on weekends.

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LAKEWOOD RANCH 20TH ANNIVERSARY

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2015

RANCH REFLECTIONS KEITH DAVEY

A

Greenbrook resident since 2005, Keith Davey was a member of the now-defunct Civic Action Forum, which explored whether Lakewood Ranch should incorporate. Ultimately, Ranch residents voted not to incorporate in August 2011.

Davey also has served as a Lakewood Ranch Community Development District 4 supervisor since 2010.

We’re very fortunate that SMR is the developer. They have planned for development into the future so nothing being done now should be a surprise to anyone. People express concerns about the rate of growth, but most people are here today because they like the fact it’s a planned community.

In 20 years, I think it will be a mixed-use community of residential and commercial development and recreational facilities.

It’s something I want to see.

There are a lot of activities within the community and nearby there’s a great variety of housing options. People can truly live in Lakewood Ranch and work in Lakewood Ranch. We’ve got some good organizations, the business alliance is good to make businesses stronger, and

Jessica Salmond

DR. JORGE ALVAREZ

Pam Eubanks

our community activities group sponsors a lot of events.

Serving as a CDD supervisor has been an opportunity to do some creative things for the community and ensure the finances of Greenbrook are used efficiently. We want to make sure reserves are created so when existing assets need to be replaced, we don’t need a special assessment to do it.

D

r. Jorge Alvarez has lived in Lakewood Ranch Country Club since 2003, and in the River Club another eight years previously. He delivered the first baby in Lakewood Ranch through a planned caesarian section in September 2004.

Since then, we’ve done a lot of deliveries. We average about 30 a month. They are from all over, from the east area, also from Sarasota. It’s considered not a lot, but for a small hospital, it’s a good number.

I think Lakewood Ranch will be incorporated some day. It made sense several years ago.

The information we had, the biggest objection to it was the (projection) was too optimistic for growth. We’ve exceeded it.

I was the chief of OBGYN and Pediatrics at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center for six years after it opened. But the Women’s Centre moved here

— PAM EUBANKS

to Lakewood Ranch before the hospital opened. The Women’s Centre opened in 2003. When I moved here in 1994, the Lakewood Ranch area was nothing. I remember when the only thing on University Parkway was University Park, the community.

I started looking out here.

I lived in the West Bradenton area, but at that time I knew the only growth in the future would be in the east. So I moved here, but kept practicing in the west, because I knew this area was the future. Growth has been significant. Now we are seeing a lot of patients from Sarasota because we are close to I-75. They want a small, private hospital. They want their privacy.

We’re ready for the growth.

We started with only two providers and now we are five, with a nurse practitioner and midwife.

— JESSICA SALMOND

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2015

2035: KIDS ENVISION THE FUTURE Wonder what Lakewood Ranch will look like in 20 years?

Us too. So we asked those known for their imaginations — the kids of Lakewood Ranch — to share their vision of the future.

D

ear Lakewood Ranch: Happy 20th Anniversary! In 20 years I think Lakewood Ranch should have a theme park. It would include fun rides and restaurants. It would also have a small water park. What I love about Lakewood Ranch is the people.

They seem to love it and I love Lakewood Ranch too.

— Alyssa Bhakeram, 9, McNeal Elementary

I

just want to wish Lakewood Ranch a happy 20th anniversary! It has been an amazing 19 years in Lakewood Ranch, well I have not been in Lakewood Ranch for 19 years. What I love about Lakewood Ranch is there is a mini golf really close to me because I love to do mini golf. I like that there is little shops close to me because I love to go shopping.

Well here is a couple of things that I think will be in Lakewood Ranch in 20 years. So one thing I think should be in Lakewood Ranch is a water park because it’s somewhere close and it’s somewhere to have fun and cool of when it’s hot.

Another thing is an Apple store. The reason I would say that because well I know that there is a e-mobile for that but they only have a couple of Apple products.

Also something that might be here or I would want here is a yard.

The reason I say that is that even though you might have flowers inside your house. But what if you want different flowers? Well that’s all for now. i hope if anyone moves to Florida I recommend you move to Lakewood Ranch.

— Savannah Burns, fourth grade McNeal Elementary School

I

will be a grownup and I will be in my owns house and I will have my own choos. I will have my owon car and my owon town.

I will be a perfachunoll tininess paler and I will have 300 dollars and I will get a new car! I will have humongis tan and my mom and dad can come. I will have my own people.

— Ana Benson, second grade McNeal Elementary School

I

n the year 2035, I think Lakewood ranch will turn into a lacrosse stadium because I play lacrosse. Lacrosse is beast. it’s a dangerous. It’s one of the dangerous sports in the world. There will be robots at the concession stand that serve you the food that you want. The end.

— Mickey Cohen, second grade McNeal Elementary School

R

ight now Lakewood Ranch is a beautiful town. Lakewood Ranch has a lot of stores, schools, and libraries. We have gyms and many other things. I think Lakewood Ranch in twenty years will have more homes, movie theaters, libraries, stores, and restaurants. We’ll have more feilds. Maybe more wildlife around the woods. Maybe stores with technology as their store’s owner. Candy stores with flavors beyond the flavors we know.

That’s what I think Lakewood Ranch would be like in twenty years, but I like the way Lakewood Ranch just the way it is, because it is beautiful and has lots and lots of wildlife.

— Michelle Wagner, 8 Willis Elementary School

D

ear Lakewood Ranch residents, Water parks, new homes, people discovering fossils. Do you know where I am? I am in futuristic Lakewood Ranch.

It’s hard to imagine what Lakewood Ranch would look like from now, but I hope that Lakewood Ranch will continue to grow beautiful, and many people come to live in Lakewood Ranch.

One thing I hope to see in Lakewood Ranch is a water park.

I bet when people see a water park it will always be full of people.

Another thing I hope Lakewood Ranch will have is new homes. A lot of people will move to Lakewood Ranch if there are nicer homes, and they are at least some what cheap.

Well, I hope that Lakewood Ranch becomes a wonderful community.

— Allie Forest, 9 Gullett Elementary School

D

ear Citizens of Lakewood Ranch, What I think your town will look like in twenty years is that there will be an airport, more lakes\ponds, more librarys, and more citizens.

I bet there’ll be new streets and sidewalks too!

— Skylar Kreithen, 9, Willis Elementary School

D

ear, Citizens of Lakewood Ranch I think your town will be amazing in 20 years. Because I think it will be a county because you are building a lot of stuff. Like Wawa the gas station and some other stuff. I also think it will be a very popular place to stop because of all the buildings. So I think your town will be amazing in 20 years because it already is.

— Arjah Sandhu, 8 Willis Elementary School

W

hat I think lakewood ranch in 20 years that the buses and cars will hover. The houses will be made of metal and the motels will have the rooms stacked and the rooms will be metal blabs. There will be 2 movie theaters on each street, 2 motels on each street.

There would be 5 main malls.

There would be 6 wawas there would be 5 schools. And way more trafic and there would be less trees.

— Emma Hubley, 9 Willis Elementary School

T

he streets are noisy with sounds like vroom vroom and people play catch? You guest it is Lakewood Ranch in the future.

I wish in 20 years from now they make a ice hockey team called Ice Wood Ranch. Ice cause a lake wood freeze! I can already imagen the jerseys the colors would be black and green! Hopefully they make more kinds of candy like healthy candy cause my sister doesn’t like to eat to much sugar!

I hope they make faster cars.

Maybe they will make a cool park called disney lake it would have the best rides in the world. I hope they make an xbox 400 or 500 they are the most catchy.

—Philip Seth, 9 Gullett Elementary School

“I wish in 20 years from now they make a ice hockey team called Ice Wood Ranch. Ice cause a lake wood freeze! I can already imagen the jerseys the colors would be black and green!”

—Philip Seth, 9, Gullett Elementary School

O

ne! Two! Three, four, five!

The new Lakewood Ranch could change your life!

Six! Seven! eight, nine, ten!

Wait a minute! We’re talking the new and improved Lakewood Ranch! Not cheerleading! OK. Where was I? Oh yeah! We need to add more to Lakewood Ranch!

I mean, it’s so….so…let’s change the subject shall we? The thing is in 20 years, I think I would see more schools. I know we have a lot of schools, but kid need a better education.

We also need new hospitals.

When children are sick, some kids or adults can’t find hospitals.

But the hospital in Lakewood Ranch would be the best hospital in Florida! Oh, and this is what I really hope they would put, a Disney Universe! I would love to see a Disney universe, right in Lakewood Ranch! They could put outrageous roller costers, awesome shows, and cool small shops, and also, I really hope they have a parade every 6 hours! I love Disney World, and I hope I see Disney Land, but could you imagine if we had a Disney Universe?

Six! Seven! Eight, nine, ten!

Have your thoughts, until then!

— Sydney DeVriendt, 9 Gullett Elementary School

I

n 20 years I think that there will be flying cars and an elevator to the moon, a submarine that can fly, I think that superman will be in town.

— Cam Locke, second grade McNeal Elementary School

I

like to go to main street on sundays because sometimes I go miniature golfing. It is so fun!

I do it with my hole family and sometimes with my grandma.

— Samantha Cunningham Willis Elementary School

D

ear Lakewood Ranch, Happy 20th anniversary! I think Lakewood Ranch will look like New York with kids on hoverbords and robots all over the city. I also think buildings will have little stuff on the bottom of them that makes them fly, we will probably will have flying cars too for the ocean boats will have big strong fishing reals to fish big fish. That’s how I think the future will look like.

—Mary-Allison McGuire, 9, McNeal Elementary

I

think in the future Lakewood Ranch will have cars that can drive themselves and fly. I think boats will go even faster and safer.

Next, I think robots will do stuff for us.

— Tyler Gross, 9 McNeal Elementary

YourObserver.com

LAKEWOOD RANCH 20TH ANNIVERSARY

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2015

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LECOM: Training the Next Generation of Healthcare Professionals in Lakewood Ranch The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine is proud to call Lakewood Ranch home since opening its College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2004. Since then, LECOM has grown and expanded with the area, opening a School of Pharmacy in 2007 and a School of Dental Medicine in 2012. LECOM administration, faculty, staff and students wish Lakewood Ranch a Happy 20th Anniversary.

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College of Medicine • School of Pharmacy • School of Dental Medicine School of Graduate Studies • Masters/Post Baccalaureate www.LECOM.edu

LWR_20th_Anniversary.indd 2

10/6/15 4:26 PM

LAKEWOOD RANCH 20TH ANNIVERSARY

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YourObserver.com

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2015

Join Us! 20TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION FOR LAKEWOOD RANCH

•Entertainment •Kids’ activities •Live Music •Fireworks

FRIDAY, October 23rd Premier Sports Campus

6 - 9 p.m.

FREE & Open to the Public

5895 Post Blvd., Lakewood Ranch, FL 34211

Hosted by Lakewood Ranch

MEALS WHEELS

For More Information: www.lwrevents.com 941.907.6000

on

of Manatee

PLEASE bring non-perishable food items to benefit MEALS ON WHEELS! Food service by

Beer profits donated to Meals on Wheels

Fireworks finale by

ATM services provided By

Kids’ Activities provided By

179812

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