bserver Merry Christmas!
EAST COUNTY
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
NEWS
SPORTS
DIVERSIONS
Education efforts could help save gators’ lives. PAGE 3
OUR TOWN
FREE • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014
Ranch senior makes presence known in his new role. PAGE 19
Black Tie’s best of fashion and fun in 2014. PAGE 13
i believe
REAL ESTATE
by Pam Eubanks | Senior Editor
by Pam Eubanks | Senior Editor
Pam Eubanks
+ He’s a swinging sensation When Gus Andreone, 103, teed it up at the Lakes Course of Sarasota’s Palm-Aire Country Club, he expected to shoot under his age — he usually does. What he didn’t count on was scoring a hole-in-one on the par-3 14th hole, which has a reputation for being one of the most difficult to par on the course. Andreone threaded his driver 113 yards up the hill and into the hole, the ball barely brushing the flagstick. Andreone, who plays golf about three days a week, usually with Palm-Aire’s men’s golf groups, was recently recognized for being the oldest cardcarrying member of the PGA. “If you stay fit and stay in rhythm, there’s no reason anyone can’t continue to enjoy golf for a long, long time,” Andreone says.
+ ‘Excellent’ mentors recognized One East County teacher may officially be coined “excellent.” Amanda Rojas, of Carlos E. Haile Middle School, and Brandi Witman, of B.D. Gullett Elementary, are among the four teachers named finalists for the Excellence in Education Award. The award, given annually by Manatee County Schools and partner organizations, recognizes “outstanding” teachers and school support staff for their work throughout the school year. Other teacher finalists include: Nuris Fanning, of Orange Ridge-Bullock Elementary, and Lindsay Gilman, of Miller Elementary. One teacher and one support staff member will also win the title of “Educator of the Year” and “Support Employee of the Year,” respectively, during the March 11 ceremony at Manatee Technical College’s State Road 70 campus.
The 1.5-acre restaurant site is located at 8165 Lakewood Ranch Blvd., adjacent to Lakewood Ranch Town Hall. It formerly housed a trailer for Homes by Towne.
Santas Dennis, Jeffry and Doug say they don’t play Santa; they have become Santa.
Photos by Pam Eubanks
SANTA SECRETS Being Santa fills the soul with joy, life and laughter. It’s a job these Santas take seriously all year long.
EAST COUNTY — A Santa sits donning a red velvet suit, matching hat and white gloves at a table inside MacAllisters Grill and Tavern, on Lakewood Ranch Main Street. At Christmastime, it’s not hard to imagine finding him here, although it’s not in his customary throne-like chair. But three Santas sitting elbow
ASK SANTA Q: What’s my name? A: “You forgot your name already?” — Santa Doug Q: How old are you? A: “I’m 837 years old at my last count.” — Santa Doug Q: Where are your reindeer? A: “I always tell them they are at the airport.” — Santa Jeffry A: “I tell them they are at the North Pole and they only fly on Christmas Eve.” — Santa Doug Q: Is your beard real? A: “Pull on it.” — Santa Doug
KNOW YOUR STUFF Santas have to make sure they are up to date on the most popular toys, so when children ask, they are informed. For example, this year little girls want castles from the hit film “Frozen.” “But there’s two ‘Frozen’ castles — large and small,” Santa Doug says. “You need to know which one.”
to elbow? “We never meet like this,” says Santa Jeffry, an East County resident who heads up Santas in Sarasota, a group of about 10 background-checked, insured Santas who work events in Sarasota, Manatee and surrounding
counties. “It’s too dangerous. Children might see.” But should a child pass by and wonder how there could possibly be more than one Santa in sight? Santa Jeffry says he’d treat
SEE SANTA / PAGE 8
Ranch gains first lakefront restaurant Texas-based Black Walnut Cafe bought a site adjacent to Lakewood Ranch Town Hall Monday. LAKEWOOD RANCH — If you could slather Texas-sized taste into an idyllic view of Lake Uihlein, what would you get? Lakewood Ranch’s first lakefront restaurant — The Black Walnut Cafe. Texas-based Black Forest Ventures, which owns and operates the Black Walnut Cafe, has purchased the 1.5-acre property at 8165 Lakewood Ranch Blvd., immediately north of Lakewood Ranch Town Hall. The deal for an undisclosed sum closed Monday. “It’s kind of a unique menu, and they have a little different twist on how they are going to do things,” Lakewood Ranch Commercial Realty President Kirk Boylston said. “It looks like a good new venue for here that’s a little different from what’s existing.” The property, which formerly housed a trailer used by home-
SEE CAFE / PAGE 8
INDEX Building Permits..... 27 Classifieds............29
Cops Corner..........11 Crossword.............28
Neighborhood.......21 Real Estate...........26
Sports...................19 Weather................28
Vol. 17, No. 6 | One section YourObserver.com