bserver O Happy Hanukkah!
EAST COUNTY
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
NEWS
+ Say, ‘Hi Bob!’ Dan Miller caught the purrrfect shot Saturday morning when he saw a bobcat walking through his neighbor’s backyard. “I grabbed the camera and shot through the lanai screen,” says Miller, who lives on Deerberry Court. “I see gators all the time, but not usually a bobcat!” Miller spotted the animal around 8:25 a.m.
+ Macy’s magic River Club’s Danielle Calabrese still dreams of her debut in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The 17-year-old senior at Lakewood Ranch High school performed with the Universal Dance Association. “I loved everything about the Macy's Parade,” Calabrese says. She loved dress rehearsals in front of Macy’s in Herald Square and watching parade balloons inflate. She also liked seeing the Rockettes, the Broadway show “Aladdin” and snow flurries.
SPORTS
DIVERSIONS
Think twice before making gator reports. PAGE 3A
OUR TOWN
FREE • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2014
Sarasota Open makes a big move to the Ranch. PAGE 13A
Watercolor society creates an artistic splash in latest exhibition. INSIDE
exterior illumination
by Kurt Schultheis | Managing Editor
Deck the Halls
OR
by Kurt Schultheis | Managing Editor
? S L L A H E H T DECK
Decorations that rival Benderson Development’s on University Parkway would come with a hefty price tag for Ranch residents. LAKEWOOD RANCH — Every year, some Ranch residents ask Lakewood Ranch Town Hall officials why they can’t have Christmas decorations like the neighboring Benderson Development lights that make motorists’ eyes pop open along University Parkway. At annual budget discussions coming before Community Development Districts 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 starting next week, board members will begin to discuss with Town Hall officials if they want to up the ante on Christmas decorations throughout the districts, starting in 2015. “Some people say they want
the Ranch to look like Benderson during the holidays,” said Lakewood Ranch Town Hall Executive Director Eva Rey. “So we’re just showing the boards what the investment costs for those types of decorations would cost.” Turns out, dazzling decorations aren’t cheap. To address the issue, staff presented the CDD boards with a proposal created by Pompano
Beach-based Christmas Designers Inc. CDI included price estimates to increase the quality and number of decorations, which would also increase CDD budgets. CDI currently decorates Benderson’s commercial districts along University Parkway. For Town Hall alone, new decorations and enhanced light-
SEE DECORATIONS / PAGE 8A
BEFORE
Amanda Sebastiano
Malcolm and Karen Ronney plan to open a new restaurant soon.
Scots sell restaurant MacAllisters’ owners will exit the business on New Year’s Day. One of the first restaurants to open on Lakewood Ranch Main Street is changing hands. Malcolm and Karen Ronney confirmed to the East County Observer Tuesday they are selling Scotland-themed MacAllisters Grill & Tavern, 8110 Lakewood Main St., to Lakewood Ranch residents Greg and Tina Bliss. The Ronneys — who owned a hotel, bar and restaurant in Troon, Scotland, before opening MacAllisters in 2006 — said they have been discussing the possibility of selling their restaurant for the last year because they have two young children now. “When you have a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old, operating a restaurant that’s open at night kills you,” Karen Ronney said. “Family comes first, and this allows us to spend evenings with our kids.” The sale price is undisclosed and the transaction isn’t official until Jan. 1. Karen Ronney said longtime MacAllisters patrons have no need to worry. “They’re keeping the name and we’re working on making the changeover as smooth and seamless as possible,” Ronney said. “Every fry, burger and dish that comes out of the oven will continue to have the same quality. The only thing they have to work on is their Scottish accents.” Greg Bliss, who with his wife,
Right: Lakewood Ranch Town Hall as it is currently decorated. Below: A Benderson-style example of Lakewood Ranch Town Hall. Photo and rendering courtesy of Christmas Designers Inc.
AFTER
Wendy McCann, Lynn Zachos, Victoria Berden and Sue Wollenberg
+ Trunk-tastic A slice of New York City Fashion landed on Lakewood Ranch Main Street Dec. 5 and Dec. 6. Serendipity Boutique hosted a trunk show with New York-based fashion designer Lynn Zachos, a Sarasota resident. The event featured Zachos’ two popular brands, Zac & Ally jewelry and Ava Gray apparel. Zac & Ally debuted earlier this year and recently was featured on “The View.”
NEW OWNERS
SEE RESTAURANT / PAGE 8A
INDEX Building Permits...25A Classifieds......... 27A
Cops Corner....... 12A Crossword.......... 26A
Neighborhood.... 17A Real Estate........ 24A
Sports................ 13A Weather............. 26A
Vol. 17, No. 4 | Two sections YourObserver.com