OUTDOORS

from Anna Maria Island Sun February 16, 2022

by Anna Maria Island Sun

SPORTS

20 THE SUN OUTDOORS FEBRUARY 16, 2022

A sell-out crowd attended Sarasota Bay Watch’s 12th annual fund raising event at Sarasota’s Hyatt Regency Hotel.

RUSTY CHINNIS | SUN

Scallopalooza is ‘Clamtastic!’

Reel Time

RUSTY CHINNIS

On Saturday night, Feb. 12, Sarasota Bay Watch (SBW) held its 11th annual major fund-raising event, “Scallopalooza, It’s Clamtastic,” at the Sarasota Hyatt Regency Hotel. The yearly event was another sellout and at the time of this writing final totals are still being tabulated.

I was impressed at the overwhelming community support that was shown for Sarasota Bay Watch’s efforts and estimate that close to 400 people were in attendance. SBW’s event coordinator, Ronda Ryan, worked with volunteer Jen Zak, the SBW Board and Scallopalooza Committee Chairs Brian Jung, Al Jeffery, John Ryan and Ernesto Lasso De La Vega to organize an event that highlights the importance of, and support for, local nonprofits that stress the importance of clean water.

The evening began with live music, an open bar and a large silent auction including art work, event tickets and merchandise of every description as participants mingled to share their passion for Sarasota Bay. Event Chair Brian Jung welcomed the crowd and thanked them for their support while keeping everyone apprised of the auction items and encouraging them to visit the tables. Ernesto Lasso De La Vega gave an inspirational introduction to the clam restoration project, speaking about the scientific documentation that the group is currently involved in. John Ryan, a founding member of Sarasota Bay Watch, was next and explained the motivation and purpose of SBW’s many projects and emphasized the group's non-partisan “fun” approach to conservation. Ryan cited SBW’s many activities including island and rookery cleanups, citizen and student education and much more.

Island entrepreneur and conservationist Ed Chiles took the podium after dinner and encouraged the attendees to support the efforts by turning dollars into clams and offered a substantial match to those who might join the effort. Another prominent Anna Maria Island business owner, Ben Webb, made a major contribution to the efforts that raised the funds to implement the ongoing “Clampaign” to stock 1.5 million clams in the coming year. WWSB TV’s Channel 7 weatherman Bob Harrigan, one of the area’s most popular and respected broadcasters, gave a rousing speech lauding the group’s efforts. Harrigan has been promoting those efforts since SBW’s first-ever Scallop Search in 2008.

The city of Anna Maria is currently considering a similar project to prove the efficacy of using clams to help mitigate red tide algae blooms and encourage the growth of threatened seagrass beds.

To get involved with the work SBW is doing to protect Sarasota Bay and support their mission, visit their website, sarasotabaywatch.org. As they say, “A Healthy Bay is Everybody’s Business,” literally and figuratively!

Key Royale hosts club championship

Key Royale Club played its annual Men's Club Championship Tournament Feb. 2 and Feb. 9 with 23 golfers playing 36 holes of holes of scratch golf (no handicap). Shooting a combined score of 129, one over par, the defending champion, Eric Lawson, prevailed for his second win. Finishing second was Steve Pfeil with a score of 141 followed by Tim Donnar in third place at 145.

In a Modified Stableford event on Feb. 7, the results were: 1st Place Team - Bob Blaser, Art McMillan, Blake Ress and Quentin Talbert with a score of +6 1st Place Individual - Herb Clauhs and Sam Major with a score of +6 2nd Place Individual - Tom Perkins with a score of +5 3rd Place Individual - Joe Tynan with a score of +4

SUBMITTED From left, Key Royale Club championship winners Steve Pfeil, Eric Lawson and Tim Donnar.

Winter sunset

The sun peeks through the clouds on a chilly beach day on Anna Maria Island.

CINDY LANE | SUN

Island Photography & DJ a family affair

Anna Maria Island residents Dara and Chuck Caudill have combined their creative talents to offer wedding photography and entertainment under one banner, Island Photography & DJ. Together, they will coordinate the photography and music for your special day.

Dara is a professionally trained photographer who combines the latest in digital technology along with an artistic and creative flair. She blends photojournalistic with traditional styles of photography. "A little fantasy mixed with a little reality," she says. "It's important for the photos to be beautiful!"

Chuck is a professional musician and DJ on Anna Maria Island. In addition to ukulele and acoustic guitar ceremonies, Chuck provides live music and/or full DJ services for the reception. He provides state of the art sound and lighting.

Dara and Chuck are true Island residents, so they specialize in beach weddings. The two know how important it is to have the right professionals for your day, especially if you are having a destination wedding. They were married in Kauai, and the people they hired made it a special day. They want to create that same memorable Island experience for you.

Over the years, they have become friends with many of the couples they helped marry. They find it rewarding when those couples revisit the area and call them to get together.

Both are fully insured and belong to many professional organizations, including the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce. Please check out their websites – www.islandphotography.org and www. chuckcaudill.com – to see what they have to offer. For more info, please email daracaudill@verizon.net or call 941-778-5676.

DARA CAUDILL | WWW.ISLANDPHOTOGRAPHY.ORG Megan & Shawn Bartram celebrated their 14th wedding anniversary on Anna Maria Island with their daughters, Addison 10, and Olivia 6. They were also joined by Megan’s parents Dixie & Mike. They were married on December 28, 2007 at the Sandbar restaurant. Chuck Caudill provided the music for their day. Patti Mckee, of the Sandbar coordinated the wedding and reception. The Bartram family currently resides in Milton, West Virginia.

Want your wedding photos to be featured here? Submit them to ads@amisun.com, subject 'Wedding Photos' along with your names, date of wedding and location and phone number for a chance to be featured here*. *Submission of photo not a guarantee for placement. The Sun is not responsible for any copyright infringement.

Lend the library a helping hand

The Friends of the Island Library need the community’s help. The group is seeking a place to store books donated to the library for the Friends annual book sale. Any ongoing storage space that community members can donate to hold books is appreciated and helps the Friends continue to host their book sales. If you have a space available, please call the library at 941-778-6341.

GOLF CART: City registration coming for owners

FROM PAGE 1 required by the city and that they are being used solely by residents. A part of the proposed registration requirement would be that golf cart owners would have to be homesteaded residents of Holmes Beach, preventing the vehicles from being purchased by rental owners for the use of vacationers. TOUCH FREE VOICE CONTROL! The difference between a golf cart and a low-speed vehicle, or LSV, is that a golf cart travels at a slower speed than an LSV and is not required to be registered with the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles. Holmes Beach is the only Anna Maria Island city Select Models Now where golf carts are allowed to be driven, which creates a legal issue if they were to be used by vacationers who likely would not know that the vehicles couldn’t be driven legally in Anna Maria or Bradenton Beach, or where the city boundaries are located. Holmes Beach allows the use of golf carts in the city primarily due to the Key Royale Golf Club being located within the city. While Tokajer acknowledged that golf carts are generally used primarily by residents of the Island city, he said there are some golf cart rental companies that conduct business online that could try to rent them in Holmes Beach. He also said the requirement for proof of a homesteaded property would prevent others from providing them for rentals in the city. For the registration, Tokajer suggested owners would have to register the golf carts with the city FREE BASIC INSTALL once per year and receive a sticker to put on the carts, which would alert police that the operator is a .99299 & UP Holmes Beach resident. He said it would also allow $ $S PRICED 99 to 299 officers to check and make sure the golf carts are TO STORE FOR DETAILS. PRIOR SALES RS. DAN'S FAN CITY, LLC LIC#EC13004528 equipped with required safety equipment including a windscreen and seat belts for each passenger. Anyone found operating a golf cart - not an LSV - in the city without the sticker would be subject to being stopped and potentially fined by police. The conversation is expected to continue at an upcoming city commission meeting.