Community Connections for Jan. 31

By -
Jan. 31, 2013
Greetings!

Welcome to Sarasota County Community Connections. Contact us if you have questions, ideas for articles, or feedback on the system, at communityconnections@scgov.net. 
New oral history to be unveiled
TODAY: A new Oral History Project will be unveiled at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 31, at College Hall on the Bayfront Campus of New College of Florida, 351 College Drive, Sarasota. The event is free and open to the public.
Registration deadline for Gulf Coast Senior Games is Feb. 1
Senior athletes from across the state will compete Feb. 19-24 in the 24th Annual Gulf Coast Senior Games. The deadline for registration for adults age 50 and older is Feb. 1. 
Mowing schedule for Jan. 29 - Feb. 8
The schedule for Sarasota County's roadside mowing and median maintenance program for Jan. 29-Feb. 8, subject to weather conditions.
Venice Express bus service debuts
Sarasota County Area Transit (SCAT) has begun a second Express bus service. The new Route 90X (North Port-Venice-Sarasota Express) offers weekday service with two stops on the island of Venice - at U.S. 41 and Palermo Place and at U.S. 41 and Miami Avenue. There is also a single outbound trip in the morning, departing downtown Sarasota at 7:37 a.m.
Free tax aid to get valuable tax credits
AARP and United Way are offering free tax assistance at sites throughout Sarasota County to help ensure that residents who are eligible for various tax credits receive their earned share.
Heart disease in women has Sarasota County seeing red 
Sarasota County has proclaimed Friday, Feb. 1, as "Wear Red Day," to encourage support of the American Heart Association's fight against heart disease in women. 
Free brown bag concerts at Phillippi Estate Park
Free brown bag concerts will be held at Phillippi Estate Park every Thursday in February and March from noon-1 p.m. Bring lunch and a lawn chair, and listen to musical selections of Big Band, jazz, folk, Dixieland and more.
Nokomis cleanup set for Feb. 9
Sarasota County will hold its annual free community cleanup in the Nokomis area from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9. 
Say, 'I do, again,' at Siesta Beach
Parks and Recreation's popular "Say I Do Again" wedding vow renewal event will be held at Siesta Beach at 6 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 14. The cost is $5 per couple. Register in advance by Feb. 11 online or by calling 941-861-7275. 
'One Book' announces finale
The Sarasota County Library System and community partners have planned the February Finale Month events that will conclude this year's "One Book, One Community" project. 
County and city win award for Newtown revitalization efforts
Sarasota County and the City of Sarasota have been named winners of a national award for community development for efforts to revitalize the Newtown neighborhood. 
Siesta Sunrise Beach Walks begin
Sunrise Beach Walks return to Siesta Beach and Nokomis Beach beginning Feb. 6. 
Health fair postponed
The Iglesia Bautista Misionera De Sarasota Health Fair scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 23, has been postponed. A new date has not yet been announced.
City honors county Fire Department
The Sarasota County Fire Department received a "Commission Recognition" at the Jan. 22 Sarasota City Commission meeting for the department's heroic efforts during a fire on Dec. 4, 2012.
Seven open houses set in February on draft Bicycle and Pedestrian 
Sarasota County will hold seven open-house-style meetings in February on the draft Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. View the draft plan and maps identifying existing facilities and high-priority areas for improvements, ask questions and provide comments. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bee Ridge Road Public Hearing: Update

By -
On Wed., Oct. 28, at 1 p.m., the Sarasota County Commission will hold a public hearing concerning plans for Bee Ridge Rd. east of I-75. Engineers will explain plans and probably answer questions, and presumably public comment will be invited. The hearing will be in the Commission chambers on Ringling Blvd. For more background on Bee Ridge projects, click here . Important update from the Bee Ridge Neighborhoods Committee : The Public Hearing is still at 1 pm, but the actual presentation from the Engineers has been moved to 4:30 pm on Wed. Oct. 28: County Staff has met with Commissioners earlier this week to secure their input and questions in preparation for the Wednesday, Oct 28 Commissioner meeting. This meeting will begin at 4.30 PM. Bee Ridge Road Construction will be the third agenda item. The County Administration Building is located downtown on Ringling Boulevard, across from the Post Office, just east of Orange Avenue. Come early to secure parking, located behind the building...
Read more

Water Moccasin or Water Snake?

By -
Image
At the Lakeview Park Clean-Up, some residents were picking up some branches of a tree when a dangerous Water Moccasin slithered out and dashed into the water. It might be useful to know one when you see it, but the differences between the venomous Florida Water Moccasin (or Cottonmouth) and the wholly harmless Water Snake can be subtle. Here are a few images and links that might help. First, here's a Water Moccasin Another shot of a Water Moccasin (click for a huge image): Here's the plain old harmless Florida Water Snake: Another clue (thanks Ray): When in water, Water Moccasins move on top of the water - almost as if they were gliding on the surface, like this: Water Moccasins are to be met with extreme caution. "When a moccasin is nesting or has her young in their nest it will aggressively defend that area," says Ray. "Moccasins have aggressively attacked people." Water Snakes tend to be partly submerged, partly out of the water, more like this: Click f...
Read more

A bit of Lake Sarasota history

By -
Image
Lake Sarasota is at the lowest water level it's been in quite some time.  (Note: the water pumped into the canals has nothing to do with the depletion -- we just need rain.) Rougly 56 years ago, when it was Sunshine Springs and Gardens, the lake looked like this: And here's a view of the canal and resort that was built to attract buyers here in the mid 1950's: The video moves back and forth between Cypress Gardens and Sunshine Springs and Gardens . About 4:01 minutes in, you see our lake, and at about 4:15, the concrete grandstand that still can be seen at the lake, but here it's bright white, as is the sand that rings the lake: If you know anyone with more footage or photos or other recollections of the early days of Lake Sarasota, please get in touch with us at LakeSarasota@gmail.com . Thanks to Winter resident Beany for pointing us to the canal photo and the video.
Read more