E A ST COUNTY
Observer Lakewood Ranch’s weekly newspaper since 1998
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COMMUNITY HAVEN CELEBRATES 60 PAGE 1B
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2015
VOLUME 17, NO. 15
ARTS+CULTURE
Basilone leaves CAC after eight eventful years Lori Basilone prepares to say goodbye after helping Lakewood Ranch find and cultivate its community spirit. PAM EUBANKS SENIOR EDITOR
— Lori Basilone’s handprint is all over Lakewood Ranch, although not in a quantifiable way. Instead, her impacted is measured in photographs and memories. As the longtime director of Lakewood Ranch Community Activities Corp., the organization that oversees Lakewood Ranch’s clubs and community events, Basilone has helped turn a residential development into a thriving social community. But, Basilone is ready for something new. She finishes her tenure with Community Activities Feb. 28,
LAKEWOOD RANCH
THE ART OF NOW Discover performance art at the Ringling.
BLACK TIE
Patrons celebrate the success of the 2015 Modern Pentathlon
INSIDE
YOUR TOWN ASH-ONLY DRIVE-THRU
SEE BASILONE PAGE 8A
Dog Park fetches upgrades CDD 4’s plan to spend $20,000 on improvements has tails wagging. PAM EUBANKS SENIOR EDITOR
— Members of the Lakewood Ranch Dog Park are barking with enthusiasm in support of changes coming to the facility. As Lakewood Ranch Town Hall’s operations department prepares to install a new keyless access system, it will use the opportunity to reconfigure the park’s entrance, which currently has one shared fenced-in area through which dogs and owners can enter into either the small or large dog park. “At times, you’ve got people coming in and out, and dogs are congregating in that foyer,” said Cliff Kaplan, Dog Park president. “Dogs are dogs. They’ll bark or snarl. If one’s on a leash, it’ll protect its owner. It can get nasty. It’s a safety issue.” The change, he said, has been on his wish list. He visited three other dog parks to determine
LAKEWOOD RANCH
Courtesy photo
Harvest member Ken Cerny alerts motorists of a roadside Ash Wednesday.
Harvest United Methodist Church offered a drive-thru approach to a centuries-old Christian tradition Feb. 18, Ash Wednesday. At the church’s Lakewood Ranch and Bayshore locations, drivers could stop to have ash placed on their foreheads in celebration of the start of Lent, a time for reflection and repentance before Easter. YOUR TOWN PAGE 16A
SEE DOG PARK PAGE 6A
ARTISTIC BY NATURE
Amanda Sebastiano
Travis gives his owner Cliff Kaplan a kiss as the two sit at the Lakewood Ranch Dog Park, located in the back portion of Greenbrook Adventure Park.
University Park resident Polly Curran invites friends, family and the public to explore her work as an artistic nature photographer. In celebration of Curran’s 10th anniversary in the art, she is displaying her work from March 2 through April 3, at the Sarasota Orchestra, Harmony Hall. A reception will be held from 5 to 6 p.m. March 4, at that location. Refreshments will be served. “I have had so much fun with flowers and photography over the years,” Curran says.