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APRIL 2016 941.349.0194 | ISLAND VISITOR PUBLISHING, LLC
The Amazing Jayne Blair A remarkable lady lives on Kestral Park South Park South. Her name is Jayne Blair, and she is 102 years young. Jayne is a beautiful, energetic livewire who has 20/20 vision, drives her own car, walks, swims, and plays mahjong every Thursday. Jayne was raised in upstate NY, Binghamton to be exact. Her mother was a teacher before marriage: her father studied to be a lawyer, but never practiced. He ended up owning a Buick dealership with a partner. Of her early years, Jayne says matter-of-factly: “My family was very well off, and then lost it all after some bad investments. They were rich and then they weren’t.” Jayne continued, “I had three sisters, and they were perfectly beautiful. I was attractive, but
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By Diana Colson
they were beautiful!” The family had a summer house in Canada, where Jayne and her sisters first learned to swim in the icy waters of the St. Lawrence River. “As a young girl, I used to swim island to island in the St. Lawrence.” Today Jayne enjoys swimming in the warm summer waters of a Landings pool. This vivacious lady was to marry three times. Her first husband’s name was Fred Wobie. “I was too young for the first one, but we had a delightful daughter by the name of Marea, who now lives near Nashville. She had six children.” Newly divorced, Jayne went on to marry Malcolm Cushing McGrath, a 1936 Graduate of the Naval Academy. Mac was a fighter pilot on the Lexington
and Saratoga. His wing man was a flyer by the name of Butch O’Hare, whose father was the lawyer for Al Capone. Jayne remembers that dashing wing man fondly: “I was out at the Naval Air Station when Butch was there. He’d just gotten a new Cadillac Convertible and was sitting in it with the top down. I asked him: What do you think of when you’re flying?” Butch answered simply, “I want to be better than the best.” Butch certainly achieved that dream. In Jayne’s own words, “He was the one who dove down and sank a battleship in World War II. He died a hero’s death, of course. Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport is named in his honor.” Continued on page 23
Could 2016 Annual Siesta July 4 Fireworks be the last? By Roger Drouin The Siesta Key Independence Day fireworks display, organized by the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce, has been an island tradition for the past 25 years. The first event was spurred as a tribute to the men and women who served in Desert Storm. But now event organizers say that the upcoming 2016 display could be the last, unless a fundraising effort results in enough sponsorships and partnerships. The uncertain future comes as organizers are shifting to a new approach to raising funds to pay for the roughly $45,000 cost to put on the fireworks display. During previous years, an annual July 4 VIP party was the “main donation raiser”
for the fireworks, said Mark Smith, chair of the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce. On March 23, however, the chamber’s fireworks committee opted to not hold the VIP party in 2016. Several factors lead to that decision. Last year, the cost to organize the VIP party increased by about $9,000, after county officials required extra precautions to protect the new, improved Siesta Key Public Beach. Those extra steps included additional barricades and breathable matting meant to ensure that the new grass and sprinkler system was not damaged, said Alana Tomasso, volunteer chair of the fireworks committee and
general manager at Midnight Cove. “It is beautiful now,” Tomasso said of the upgraded Siesta Key Public Beach park. “We certainly didn’t want to do any harm to the new beach.” But the extra required steps came with a cost. Organizers also had to pay to rent chairs and tables, whereas in the past the event was held at pavilion picnic tables. In addition, a retention pond sits where the VIP party was held in the past, muddying the logistics for trying to put on the VIP party. “It is difficult to put on; the logistics at the beach are tough now,” Smith said. “Before it was easier.” Continued on page 27
Moderately sized homes come with big features and ideal location By Roger Drouin Single family homes in The Landings range from threebedroom homes at around 2,000 square feet all the way up to larger homes upwards of 4,000 square feet. In addition to different sizes, “each home has its own character,” said Bill Whitman, Landings Homeowners Association Inc. president since 2008. “It is not a cookie cutter development.” Some of the more moderately-sized homes with less than 2,700 square feet offer unique features and the ideal location of The Landings with a more moderate price. Homes with three bedrooms and featuring a den have become a
desirable home on the market in the community, said Tara Lamb, a realtor with Michael Saunders & Company who specializes in The Landings. Single family homes under 2,700 square-feet that recently sold ranged in per-squarefoot sales price — from $169 for an un-renovated home to $260 a square foot for a home with a den, ash wood vaulted ceilings and updated kitchen. The smaller homes don’t skimp on the enhancements, and some of the recent sales included features such as caged pools and paver patios, lush landscaping, and custom touches. Continued on page 29