bserver O Happy New Year!
EAST COUNTY
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
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SEASON ETY | WINTER 2015 TO THE ARTS AND SOCI THE OBSERVER’S GUIDE
FREE • THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2015
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Look inside for your quarterly guide to the arts and society. INSIDE
Enjoy the beauty of . the best weather . photos of the year. . PAGE 17A
Relive 2014’s most exciting sports moments.. PAGE 13A
OUR TOWN
Sophia Sokol, with the help of her granddaughter, Judie Sokol, lights the Hanukkah menorah.
+ Menorah memories Residents of the Windsor of Lakewood Ranch and their families celebrated the first day of Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, with the lighting of the Hanukkah menorah Dec. 17. Resident Sandy Gladstone said the celebration brought back childhood memories. “One resident said how wonderful it was to share the holiday with younger people,” Gladstone said. “It brought back wonderful memories of them lighting the menorah when they were young.” Residents enjoyed the singing of Hanukkah songs, playing the game of dreidel, and eating the traditional food of the holiday — latkes, fried potato pancakes.
THE YEAR IN
PICTURES East County, you had a busy year in 2014, from opening a new mall to running a dizzying amount of 5Ks. See PAGES 2A THROUGH 12A to view the year’s most memorable moments.
+ Delectable menu Lakewood Ranch Director of Operations Ryan Heise acknowledges that stormwater retention education is boring business. So at a Protect Our Ponds Science Café held Dec. 8 at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall to educate residents on their ponds, Heise and staff livened it up with food offerings such as algae wraps, pond scum bites and alligator bites that Heise promised “tasted like chicken.” The café was such a success another one is in the works.
+ Haven happenings Community Haven for Adults and Children with Disabilities has plenty to be happy about this holiday season. The nonprofit received a $14,000 donation Dec. 17 from Sarasota Men’s Auxiliary of the VFW Post 3233. The next day, Santa and his elves stopped by on their fire truck to visit and deliver gifts.
INDEX Diversions.......... Inside Classifieds......... 25A
Cops Corner....... 12A Crossword.......... 24A
Neighborhood.... 20A Real Estate........ 22A
Sports................ 13A Weather............. 17A
Vol. 17, No. 7 | Three sections YourObserver.com