E A ST COUNTY
Observer
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STRAWBERRIES: TAKE YOUR PICK PAGE 1B
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2015
VOLUME 17, NO. 14
ARTS+CULTURE
SHELF TO STAGE The library of Sarasota Ballet’s director helps inform the art onstage.
BLACK TIE
Selby Gardens celebrates Valentine’s Day with a ruby affair.
INSIDE
YOUR TOWN
ADULT DAY CENTER opens in East County Meals on Wheels PLUS hopes the new location also will raise awareness about the nonprofit and its other programs.
Courtesy photo
Fanny, formerly known as Fendi, was the last animal from the Napier raid to find a forever home.
Honor finds home for Napier pets
PAM EUBANKS SENIOR EDITOR
— For Maribeth Phillips, a dream has finally become reality. Meals on Wheels PLUS has officially moved its Daybreak Adult Day Center program to its new East County home at 10920 State Road 70 E., Bradenton, in Spring Forest Business Park. “We hope by being here we’ll be able to help those in this area of the county who need it,” said Phillips, CEO of Meals on Wheels PLUS. “We’re so grateful to the community and all the advocates who helped get us here because we really needed a new home for this program.” The 6,600-square-foot property formerly housed Little Footsteps day care. Daybreak’s old building in West Bradenton had about 1,000 less square feet of space and was not as aesthetically pleasing or functional, Phillips said. The new layout encourages clients to gather together for morning announcements before breaking into activities. There are
EAST COUNTY
SEE DAY CENTER PAGE 5A
Fanny, a Siamese cat, was the last Napier’s raid animal to find a forever home Jan. 23. BY AMANDA SEBASTIANO STAFF WRITER EAST COUNTY — As Fanny slowly
Courtesy photo
Dianne Maddaleno makes a card while at Daybreak Adult Day Center, a program of Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee.
PAW PARTY
Say ‘grilled cheese!’
SEE HONOR PAGE 6A
Tom + Chee, a Cincinnatibased chain, plans to introduce East County to its comfort food. KURT SCHULTHEIS
N 200 ft.
UNIVERSITY PKWY
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Tom + Chee 5231 University Pkwy., Sarasota
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MANAGING EDITOR
7 3 ST. E .
To celebrate the first birthday of Sydney Anderson, her parents, Ben and Casey Anderson, put a little bark in her birthday bash Feb. 8. Instead of presents, the family requested donations for the Humane Society of Manatee County for her wildlifethemed birthday party at their East County home. Guests brought almost $500 worth of supplies. “Sydney has such a love for animals already at such a young age that it seemed fitting to give to the humane society,” says Casey Anderson, co-owner of the Sea Star Cafe in Lakewood Ranch. The family dropped off items Feb. 9, and Sydney played with a puppy and a cat. “She had a great time,” Casey Anderson says.
slinked across the living room in her new home, she tried to be invisible. The Siamese cat sneaked toward her food bowl in the kitchen, hoping her owner, Pat Schubert, didn’t notice her. “She’s very skittish,” Schubert said. “She hasn’t let me hold her yet, and she doesn’t come toward me.” But Fanny’s overly shy nature doesn’t discourage or surprise Schubert. Her cat has been through hardships during her short life. Schubert adopted the 2-anda-half-year-old cat Jan. 23. She is the last of the dogs and cats Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue confiscated after authorities raided Napier’s
Courtesy rendering
Tom + Chee plans to open a University Parkway location by the end of June.
Tom + Chee, a Cincinnati-based startup chain of fast-casual grilled cheese sandwich and soup eateries, is preparing to open its second Florida location in East County. Tom + Chee co-founder Corey Ward says a location will open at 5231 University Parkway, Sarasota by the end of the second quarter. Tom + Chee is preparing to open SEE TOM + CHEE PAGE 9A
CRACKER TRAIL 3A The Harrison family saddles up for its annual cross-state ride.