SARASOTA
Observer
Downtown hosts arts festival. PAGE 2B
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 17, NO. 15
FREE
YOUR TOWN Tick, tock. Turn forward your clock! Daylight saving time begins at 2 a.m. March 14.
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THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021
Downtown’s next frontier With an eye toward the future, downtown leaders are discussing parking garages and streetscape redesigns. PAGE 3A
Characters welcome
Photo courtesy Sylvia Payne
Fair-feathered friend
A mother turned to plush dolls as a pandemic craft activity. SEE PAGE 1B
When Sylvia Payne’s granddaughter purchased a home on 40th Street last year, it came with an unadvertised amenity: an ostentation of peafowl that called the area home. Among the feathered creatures was a rare white peacock. Although Payne said the peacock seemed to be a loner, shunned by the others in the group, it would routinely visit her granddaughter while she was working outside. Last week, the bird spread its feathers, showcasing the natural beauty of its plumage.
Harry Sayer
Rebecca Polizzi has spent months hand-crafting a series of plush dolls.
Courtesy photo
A big impact
The Impact100 SRQ organization had one big reveal for supporters March 9 at Nathan Benderson Park: The group had raised more than $400,000 in grant money to support local nonprofits. The organization, founded in 2019, supports local nonprofits by having members join for a $1,000 membership fee, which is given entirely to grant funding. There were 404 members this year, which meant $404,000 was split into four grants to be awarded to local nonprofits in 2021. For interested parties, grant applications are open through April 28.
A+E
Feel-good concert. SEE PAGE 20A
Students in the STREAM Catholic schools shift to a new curriculum. SEE PAGE 14A
Brynn Mechem
Second grade student Jake Riley explores concepts including probability and cause and effect with Lego bricks.