8 minute read
NEWS
4THE SUN ISLAND NEWS
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NOVEMBER 17, 2021
IN BRIEF
Bradenton Beach officials sworn in
Bradenton Beach Mayor John Chappie and city commissioners Jake Spooner and Jan Vosburgh were sworn into office Monday morning by City Clerk Terri Sanclemente. Chappie recently defeated David Galuszka in the mayor’s race. Running unopposed, Spooner and Vosburgh also claimed additional two-year terms in office. Chappie and Spooner will term-limit out of office in in 2023. “You guys do so much for the city. Thank you so much,” Sanclemente said after swearing in the officials.
Clean water committee gets seventh member
The Holmes Beach Clean Water Ad-Hoc Committee has yet to meet, but now the group has seven members. At their Nov. 9 meeting, city commissioners voted unanimously to accept the application of John Kolojeski, a former attorney for the Environmental Protection Agency and a resident of Anna Maria. The Clean Water Ad-Hoc Committee was formed by city commissioners to study how activity on Anna Maria Island affects the surrounding waters and how the state of those waters can be improved. The group is expected to begin meeting regularly in early 2022.
Holmes Beach commissioners postponed the discussion on virtual participation of commissioners at city meetings until December to allow City Attorney Patricia Petruff time to develop guidelines for them to consider. During a Nov. 9 work session, commissioners again broached the subject of what would constitute an extraordinary circumstance to allow a commissioner to speak and vote via Zoom or other electronic means during a meeting and how to regulate that. Petruff said that in order for a commissioner to participate virtually, four of the five commissioners would have to be present in person to approve an ordinance in case the one participating virtually was not approved to vote by the physically present commissioners. Holmes Beach requires three of the five sitting commissioners to be present in order to hold a meeting.
Light up Bradenton Beach kicking off Holidays in Paradise festivities
BY JOE HENDRICKS
SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
BRADENTON BEACH – The “Light Up Bradenton Beach” Christmas tree-lighting ceremony will take place Saturday, Nov. 20 in the Bradenton Beach Post Office parking lot.
Organized by participating Bradenton Beach merchants and restaurateurs, Mayor John Chappie and Police Chief John Cosby, the annual treelighting ceremony will feature a 32-foot Christmas tree.
The “Light Up Bradenton Beach” festivities will begin that day at 3 p.m. with Santa and Mrs. Claus arriving on Bridge Street aboard their special golf cart. Santa and Mrs. Claus will make their way to the holiday Kid Zone at Island Time Bar & Grill, which will feature face painting and other kid-friendly activities. They will then head to the historic clock tower to accept Christmas wish lists and pose for holiday photos.
At dusk, the holiday fun will shift to the post office parking lot at 116 Bridge St., where The Magic of Manatee – the Bradenton chapter of the international women’s choral group, The Sweet Adelines – will lead the crowd in Christmas carols beginning at 5:30 p.m.
The tree lighting will take place at 6 p.m., followed by more singing and then a special outdoor screening of “A Christmas Story” from 7 to 9 p.m., with the exterior wall of the Sports Lounge serving as the movie screen. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own chairs and blankets for the movie screening.
Popcorn, hot chocolate and other treats – including the adult variety – will be available for purchase at the nearby businesses before, during and after the movie.
CHRISTMAS ON BRIDGE STREET The tree-lighting ceremony will
SUBMITTED The Holidays in Paradise events will continue on Saturday, Dec. 4.
mark the beginning of the six-week Holidays in Paradise festivities that will continue through New Year’s Day and take place during the city of Bradenton Beach’s largest-ever holiday decoration and lighting display.
The annual Christmas on Bridge Street celebration and the coinciding Bradenton Beach Holiday Lighted Boat Parade will both take place on Saturday, Dec. 4.
Beginning at 3 p.m., Christmas on Bridge Street will again feature a Kid Zone that includes face painting and the creation of holiday crafts. The Anna Maria Island Privateers will provide photo opportunities with Santa and his sleigh in the post office parking lot, near the Christmas tree. The acclaimed Dickens Carolers – a professional company of actors and singers in period costumes – will tell stories and sing seasonal songs.
Island troubadour Mike Sales will perform on the Bridge Street Pier before the boat parade.
Featuring food and drink specials, gift certificate sales, “chair-ity massage” and more, nearby retailers and restaurants will host a holiday walkabout that evening.
There will also be a Holiday Swagger photo contest and a grand prize drawing that benefits Turning Points, a local non-profit organization that assists homeless families in Manatee County.
HOLIDAY BOAT PARADE
Organized by Bradenton Beach Marina owner Mike Bazzy, the third annual Bradenton Beach Holiday Lighted Boat Parade, taking place Saturday, Dec. 4, will begin at 6 p.m., with participating vessels gathering ahead of time near the south end of Jewfish Key.
The boat parade will travel northwest along the Longboat Pass Bridge and then head north up the Intracoastal Waterway, passing by the Bridge Street Pier and ending at the marina. The boat parade can be viewed from the Longboat Pass Bridge from about 6 to 6:30 p.m. and from the Bridge Street Pier from about 6:30 to 7 p.m.
The boat parade is open to powerboats and sailboats and entry is free. The best-decorated boat will earn a $200 cash prize.
Entry forms and additional information can be found at the boat parade website, www.boat-parade.com, or by calling the Bradenton Beach Marina at 941-778-2288.
Those who don’t have a boat of their own can participate in the boat parade as passengers aboard the marina’s “Anna Maria Princess” paddle wheeler. Tickets can be purchased at the boat parade website and the proceeds will be donated to fighting children’s cancer.
The Sun is a media sponsor of the Holidays in Paradise events.
For more information on the Holidays in Paradise events, activities, contests, parking and more, please visit www.lovebradentonbeach.com or call 941-896-2222.
Thanks-Living gathering to focus on ‘Green & Clean’ initiative
KRISTIN SWAIN | SUN Rev. Dirk Rogers gives a blessing over the thrift store at the start of a Nov. 9 grand reopening ceremony.
Thrift store reopens its doors
BY KRISTIN SWAIN
SUN STAFF WRITER | kswain@amisun.com
ANNA MARIA – After months of renovations, the doors of the Roser Guild Thrift Store are open to the public and quite a lot has changed on the inside.
Members of the Guild and some of the volunteers who worked on the building renovations met Nov. 9 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the store followed by a tour of the newly refurbished interior.
Rev. Dirk Rogers gave a blessing of the store before Guild members and thrift store volunteers Peggy Nash and Margaret Atwood joined hands to cut the ribbon. They were then joined by church Trustee Alan Ward to unlock the door, officially reopening the shop for the first time in more than a year.
The store, 511 Pine Ave., is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Staffed by volunteers, the proceeds generated by the store help the Roser Guild provide scholarships, community programs and support to Roser Church and other local organizations.
For more information on the thrift shop, visit www.roserchurch.com/thrift-shop.
Thanks-Living 2021
will focus on environmental preservation.
BY JOE HENDRICKS
SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com
ANNA MARIA – In partnership with the Center of Anna Maria Island and the city of Anna Maria, the Love AMI Committee will host Thanks-Living on AMI at City Pier Park on Sunday, Nov. 21.
The inaugural Thanks-Living event occurred in 2019 and the 2020 event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Taking place from 4-7 p.m. under the City Pier Park shade sail structure, Thanks-Living on AMI is a free event that helps support the “Green & Clean” Island initiative. Sunday’s event will feature activities for all ages and informational and educational booths presented by The Center, Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch & Shorebird Monitoring, Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center Inc., Eckerd College, Mote Marine Laboratory and the Roser Memorial Community Church and food pantry.
The children’s table will include crayons and coloring sheets
Thanks-Living also will feature light-bite food samples from local restaurants. Free water will be provided, but attendees are encouraged to bring their own beverages. In addition to the tables and chairs, there will be a family picnic area.
Will Corr will play music, and cash or Publix gift card donations will be accepted to support the Roser Food Pantry and the All Island Denomination outreach program.
At about 4:30, Vic Caserta, City Commissioner Carol Carter and Mayor Dan Murphy will offer introductory remarks, to be followed by comments from The Center’s Jim McDaniel. A children’s sing-along will take place toward the end of the evening.
