OUTDOORS

14 THE SUN OUTDOORS SEPTEMBER 22, 2021

Pick up some trash, win some cash

Reel Time

RUSTY CHINNIS

PALMETTO - Suncoast Aqua Ventures will hold its 5th Annual Reef and Beach Cleanup the weekend of Oct. 2-3 at the Bradenton Yacht Club, 4307 13th St. W.

Suncoast Aqua Ventures was formed in 2016 when a few friends were scuba diving. Upon surfacing, the divers all commented on the amount of trash they had seen underwater, trash that most people aren’t aware of. That day they made a pact to get some friends together and “clean this stuff up.” Three months later they had their first Reef and Beach Cleanup.

“Over the years, we would add an interesting twist to a typical cleanup event," said Cheryl Huntsinger, who heads the event. "Knowing how competitive the human spirit can be, we added a little cash to the equation, gearing this like a fishing tournament with cash and prizes.” During the inaugural event in 2016, 40 people recovered over 1,800 pounds of trash. In 2019, 170 participants recovered just shy of 19,000 pounds of trash and debris from Manatee County waters during the twoday event.

The event is free to enter and kicks off Saturday, Oct. 2. Registration is from 8-10 a.m. After registration, there’s a free breakfast, and cleanup supplies will be distributed. “Weighin” is Sunday, Oct. 3 from 1-3 p.m. at the Yacht Club. Food will be served, and there will be parking lot vendors, kids’ activities, and a mermaid for photo ops. The cleanup encourages volunteers as well as spectators to come to the event.

"Come see what’s found out there that shouldn’t be in the water!" Huntsinger said.

Participants are eligible for over $5,000 in cash paid in 18 categories. Entry is free for all participants. First Place winners take $500, Second Place takes $250 and Third Place takes $100 for fishing tackle, nets, rope, recyclables, chain and other metals, trash and anchors. $300 will be awarded for the most tires and $300 will be awarded for the most unique item on land or sea determined by the judges.

Register online in advance to ensure the group has enough food, supplies and T-shirts at www.suncoastaquaventures.com. For more information, call Cheryl Huntsinger at 941-962-1488 or Troy Brown at 941-737-3165, email suncoastaquaventures@gmail.com, visit their website or follow them on Facebook where there will be frequent posts leading up to the event!

SUBMITTED Participants from the 2019 cleanup pose with their "catch." The participants create a shoe tree every year from the shoes they find underwater.

Colliers En-

gineering is reviewing, revising original plans for state-funded flood control project.

BY JOE HENDRICKS

SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@ amisun.com

BRADENTON BEACH – Colliers Engineering & Design has been authorized to prepare 60% completed plans for a pending $2.1 million flood control project in Bradenton Beach.

The project, initiated by the city and funded by the state, calls for flood control improvements to be made in the north side of the city at and around portions of 20th Place North, 21st Place North, 22nd Street North and Avenue B.

Collier’s Engineering is revising and reengineering the 90% completed plans previously submitted by longtime City Engineer Lynn Burnett and her LTA Engineers firm.

During the Bradenton Beach City Commission work meeting on Thursday, Sept 16, five motions on the pending flood control and drainage improvement project were adopted.

“Our main goal and objective is to get to the deadline that’s been adjusted by the state,” City Attorney Ricinda Perry said. She was referencing the design and engineering period that was recently extended by the state at the city’s request.

The commission then adopted the five recommended motions Perry suggested regarding the engineering services being provided by Colliers Engineering as a subcontractor of the Largobased Utility Consultants of Florida consulting firm. That company was selected earlier this year to review and potentially revise Burnett’s past and current engineering efforts.

The first adopted motion directed Colliers Engineering to prepare 60% completed plans for the flood control project. Colliers is to present the 60% plans by the end of October.

The second motion directed Colliers to prepare a stormwater and drainage-related maintenance and equipment plan for the city’s Public Works Department. That plan is to include estimated costs and how often maintenance is required to maintain the city’s stormwater and drainage systems.

The third motion directed Colliers to incorporate removal of the existing power lines and to widen the elbow area at 21st Place North and expand the flood control project into Avenues A and B as the budget allows.

The fourth motion directed Colliers to address stormwater drainage outfall issues in the requested 60% plans and to provide the commission with options regarding those drainage outfalls.

The fifth adopted motion directed Perry and Colliers to provide the commission with a list of relevant easements that might be needed from private property owners to complete the flood control project. The motion also authorizes any surveying and other work needed to acquire those easements.

No construction timetable for the flood control project has been established yet.

As he’s done in the past, Senior Project Manager Greg Stevens represented Colliers Engineering & Design at Thursday’s work meeting.

When addressing the commission, Stevens said the lower-lying areas in the eastern half of the city, along Sarasota Bay and Anna Maria Sound, are much more flood-prone than the western half of the city that’s located closer to the Gulf of Mexico.

Regarding previous drainage improvements made along Avenue B, Stevens said, “That area has a drainage system. It is not currently functioning properly. That’s due to a number of factors: being partially blocked, but also there is just some errant design – it’s not up to current standards and it’s probably not able to handle those loads either.” MAYOR’S INSIGHTS

When contacted later in the week, Mayor John Chappie provided some additional insight on the flood control improvement methods that will signal a departure from the vertical infiltration trenches favored by Burnett.

“Everybody is pleased with what Collier’s is coming forward with, using underdrains, catch basins and swell curbs that resemble gutter-like Miami curbs,” Chappie said.

Chappie said one of the primary goals is to ensure that rainwater and tidal waters are properly transported to the outfalls that discharge into Sarasota Bay and Anna Maria Sound – rather than accumulating and ponding on and around privately-owned residential properties.

Chappie said this can be accomplished, in part, by improving the drainage and water flow in the vicinity of 22nd Street North and the northern end of the nearby Runaway Bay condominium complex. Chappie said the goal is to get more rainwater in that area to discharge into the canal at the end of Avenue A.

JOE HENDRICKS | SUN Improving drainage at the south end of 22nd Street North, near the Runaway Bay condominiums, is one of the flood control project priorities.

JASON SCHAFFER | SUN The Veteran’s Wall at the Cortez Cultural Center is one of many exhibits about the fishing village’s history.

Cortez Cultural Center to host music, arts events

The Cortez Cultural Center hosts regular musical events, an arts and crafts show and a Veteran’s Day event.

BY JASON SCHAFFER

SUN CORRESPONDENT | jschaffer@amisun.com

CORTEZ - The Cortez Cultural Center, 11655 Cortez Road W., invites everyone to enjoy its fall events, including Music on the Porch, an Arts and Crafts sale and a Veteran’s Day Weekend Salute.

Open to the public every Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the center hosts Music on the Porch with local musicians who welcome others to jam with them at the tiki hut located between the center and the Florida Maritime Museum next to the Bonefish Bridge on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month.

An Arts and Crafts Sale is set for Saturday, Oct. 23 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., featuring local artists and their paintings, prints, colorful crafts, hand-crafted jewelry, baked goods, books and more.

A Veteran’s Day Weekend Salute in November will feature a tribute to Cortez veteran Albert Few Jr., who passed away this summer at the age of 100. The commercial fishing village of Cortez is home to veterans who have served in all branches of the U.S. military, and the organization showcases the impacts of those who went to war as well as those who went to sea to fish; many did both.

The center has an extensive collection of historical records related to the rich history of Cortez and its residents, including artifacts, books, documents, records and other items related to the families and individuals who have shaped Cortez, past and present.

Visitors are welcome to stroll through the FISH Preserve next to the center, formerly a 1940s Bradenton Beach cottage that has been relocated and repurposed into an exhibit space. Admission is free.

Cortez Nautical Flea Market coming in October

If you love boats, marine equipment or have saltwater flowing through your veins you don’t want to miss the Cortez Nautical Flea Market. This event will be held at the Florida Maritime Museum and Cortez Cultural Center Saturday, Oct. 23 from 8 a.m. to noon.

There will also be a nautical arts and crafts sale at the Cortez Cultural Center located to the east of the museum. Free parking is available at the F.I.S.H. Preserve, located on Cortez Road next to the Cortez Cultural Center.

Nautical vendors are still being sought, but space is limited so early registration is encouraged. Registration forms can be downloaded at floridamaritimemuseum.org. Nautical-themed arts and crafts vendors are also invited to participate at the Cortez Cultural Center. Contact Kaye Bell at (941) 5380945 or email cvhs2016@aol.com for details and to reserve your space.

COMMUNITY CHURCH Y CHURCH

IN PERSON in the Sanctuary Nursery • Children’s Church ONLINE • Watch LIVE or LATER

www.RoserChurch.com

Text ROSER to 22828 to receive the weekly eBulletin The CHAPEL is open during o ce hours for prayer & meditation

Essential ENGAGEMENT

COMMITMENT TO OTHERS

941-778-0414 • 512 Pine Ave, Anna Maria • FOLLOW us on Facebook @RoserChurch

SEPTEMBER 22, 2021 FOOD & WINE THE SUN 21

Brian Mathae Citrus squeeze

HURRICANE HANKS

Ilove lemon! It’s fresh and it’s light. I can’t recall when I first acquired the taste for everything lemon, but I can recall back to when I was a child and we spent our summers at the lake. We would ride our bikes to the general store that just happened to sell many tempting ice cream products for us kids. My favorite was always the lemon chiffon ice cream. Rich and creamy and slightly tart, it was heaven on earth! Like all good things of the past, it’s hard these days to find a true lemon ice cream product. Sure, there are lemon sherbets and sorbets, but next to no lemon ice creams to be found.

I am a creature of habit and when I find something I like, I tend to stick to it. My love of lemon has extended to the scent of it. After all, it conveys freshness and cleanliness whether it’s in the form of cologne or even a cleaning product. As a cologne I never find it offensive as some heavier colognes with notes of sandalwood, patchouli and spices can be. I’ve used Clinique Happy for Men for years and still get many compliments on it. It’s a proven winner!

Thinking back to when I was a kid, there were less product choices around than there are today. That’s the case for virtually everything as we have become a consumer-driven society and economy. Fortunately, there is an oldie but goodie cleaning product still around. Yes, I’m talking about Mr. Clean (the original Summer Citrus formulation of course). Ironically, all these years later I have a resemblance to Mr. Clean! I remember this being the standard cleaning product in our house as I was growing up, and every Saturday the house would be filled with the scent of it as mom cleaned the house.

That reminds me that as we got older and stayed out late on Friday nights and wanted to sleep in on a Saturday morning, mom would come into our rooms early Saturday morning. She was usually using the loud carpet cleaning attachment on the vacuum as the first warning to get out us out of bed. And when that didn’t work, she would throw open the windows no matter how cold it was outside to “clear the air” as she would say. It was annoying at the time, but in hindsight it was a powerful lesson in responsibility.

We have a killer key lime pie at Hanks which has a well-balanced citrus taste. But I still prefer lemon and am happy to share this recipe with you. I’m confident you will enjoy the moistness and chewiness of them along with the bright and tart lemon taste. We may have to feature them at Hanks so you can easily enjoy some summer freshness. Enjoy!

SUBMITTED

Glazed Lemon Squares

(approximately 8 servings)

Ingredients

2/3 cup butter, softened 2 eggs 1 1/4 cups flour 1 cup sugar 4 Tbs fresh squeezed lemon juice Zest of 2 lemons 1/2 tsp salt

Glaze 1 cup powdered sugar 3 Tbs fresh squeezed lemon juice Zest of 1 lemon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat an 8x8 pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar until well mixed. Gradually add in the eggs until just mixed - do not overmix or the squares will be too firm. Finally stir in the flour, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt until you have a soft batter. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and smooth. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, until the top is set and slightly golden brown in color. Remove from oven and cool completely. Once cool, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until you have a spreadable glaze. Pour over the bars and smooth out. Sprinkle remaining lemon zest and let the glaze set before cutting into squares and serving.