May 2022

+

Market Trends

Highest Sales Top Agents & Offices

Florida House Sustainable Living in Action

Film Fest Wrap Up

Sarasota Orchestra’s SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVAL Campaign Against

CHILDHOOD SUMMER HUNGER

scenesarasota.com

REAL ESTATE POWERHOUSE The Local & Global Impact of Michael Saunders & Company

MAY 2022 $3.95 U.S.

Est. 1987

Cosmetics, Implants and Bite Reconstruction Actual Patients

Smile Makeovers and Veneers

Before

After

Before

After

Dental Implant Surgery and Reconstruction

Before

After

Before

After

On-Site Laboratory with Master Technicians to Customize and Control Results Implant Dentistry

Cosmetic Dentistry

Orthodontics

Burr Bakke, DDS

Jill Morris, DMD

Cameron Johnson, DMD

• Fellow of the American Dental Implant Association • Fellow of International Congress of Oral Implantologists • Fellow of the American Academy of Dental Facial Esthetics • Member of American Academy of Implant Dentistry • Post Doctoral Instructor of Full Mouth Reconstruction

• Accredited Member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (only 550 accredited dentists worldwide) • Fellow of the American Academy of Dental Facial Esthetics • Post Doctoral Instructor of Full Mouth Reconstruction • Member International Academy of Oral Biological Dentistry and Toxicology • Practicing dentistry for 33 years

• Member of North American Association of Facial Orthotropics • Member of the American Orthodontic Society • Member of the International Association of Orthodontics • Member of American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine • International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology

(941) 877-6816 | SarasotaDentist.com | 3951 Swift Rd., Sarasota, FL 34231

Advanced Care and Dental Technology at One Location Stay Connected With Us

(941) 877-6816 | 3951 Swift Rd., Sarasota, FL 34231

R.G. “Kelly” Caldwell, Jr CEO & President and Jan Miller Senior Executive Vice President & Trust Officer Future Home of our Downtown Sarasota Office, Caldwell Trust Company, 27 S. Orange Avenue

GROWING FOR THE FUTURE

As Caldwell Trust approaches $2 billion in assets under management, accommodating your needs continues to be our top priority.

Our purchase of this 1936 historic Downtown building designed by acclaimed architect Thomas Reed Martin represents the solid foundation, deep roots, and growth of Caldwell Trust. Its legacy in our community aligns perfectly with the solid reputation of stability and strength we have earned since our founding in 1993 - a legacy we will proudly continue in our new home well into the future.

Discover how Caldwell Trust Company helps families achieve their financial goals and personal legacies; providing peace of mind.

BUILDING WEALTH | PRESERVING LEGACY

ctrust.com | 941-493-3600

There aren’t a lot of places quite like here.

When it’s time for more space or relocating near a top-rated school, choose the locally-known company that’s best at helping families reach milestones in our little corner of the world.

Nowhere but here.

VENICE | PLANTATION MICHAELSAUNDERS.COM | 941.485.5421 | 941.493.2500 Licensed Real Estate Broker

Sarasota | A4525534 | $21,600,000 Linda Driggs & Kim Ogilvie | 941-374-2920

Siesta Key | A4527041 | $9,000,000 Brian Loebker | 941-735-4393

Bradenton | A4528037 | $4,995,000 Fran DeDona & Pam Goodwin | 941-812-5023

Bird Key | A4526783 | $2,495,000 Kathy Valente & Gregory Zies, LLC | 941-685-6767

Sarasota | A4527192 | $4,350,000 Jeffrey Hinrichs | 941-456-1251

Sarasota | A4531159 | $3,700,000 Dana Westmark | 941-356-5091

Sarasota | A4529059 | $2,750,000 Joan Dickinson & Beth Afflebach | 941-914-0496

MICHAELSAUNDERS.COM | 888.552.5228 Licensed Real Estate Broker

WHY CHOOSE 301 GRANITE & MARBLE? At

301 Granite & Marble Inc. we offer complete

Kitchen & Bathroom Remodeling. One Stop shopping for Flooring, Cabinets, Countertops and Backsplashes. We are ready to help you get the kitchen you want at a price you can afford. We will work closely with you from choosing just the right style and material to final installation.

Don’t wait to add beauty, value and timeless elegance to your home.

CALL TODAY FOR FREE ESTIMATE! 301GRANITE.COM | 941.360.0301 3800 N WASHINGTON BLVD, SARASOTA #WomenOwned

GRANITE & MARBLE INC.

301GRANITE7

@301GRANITE

Whatever your joy, this is the place.

Sarasota Bay Club Luxury Retirement Living On Sarasota Bay Let Us Conduct Your Personal Bay Club Tour – Call Mimi Nowak or Dana Moe (941) 552-3284 1301 North Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, Florida • Visit Us Online at SarasotaBayClub.com

“ Residents can enjoy all the high-end amenities of luxury retirement at the Sarasota Bay Club. ” The 21 most luxurious retirement communities in America. – Fred Topel, MSN News

contents•features

66 57 50

57

REAL ESTATE POWERHOUSE The Local & Global Impact

71

SARASOTA ORCHESTRA’S

of Michael Saunders & Company

SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVAL

By Sylvia Whitman

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

sold!

An Annual Snapshot of

76

High-End Real Estate Sales

66

A Feast for the Ears:

Access for Everyone at the manatee performing arts center

By Lisa Codianne Fowler

Sustainable Living in Action Southface Sarasota at the Florida House

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

On the Cover

85

2022 sarasota film festival wrap-up

By Gus Mollasis

Michael Saunders and Drayton Saunders photographed by Barbara Banks.

10

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

50

Artistry.

Passion.

Perfection.

For over 30 years, John Cannon has designed and built homes for families just like yours throughout Florida’s west coast.

When you choose John Cannon Homes, you are selecting an award-winning team with the single goal of creating your home just as you envisioned. Build a home that’s customized for you, your family and your lifestyle. Build with John Cannon Homes.

Call 941 361.1300 for your private tour of our Corporate Offices and Design Center today. www.johncannonhomes.com

6710 Professional Parkway West, Suite 100 Sarasota, FL 34240 | 941.924.5935

CGCA18551

contents•departments

• socialscene • 20

THE LIST

Mother’s Day

party pics

By Gina Liga

Sarasota Opera Gala

30

Children First Fairytale Ball

32

Sarasota Orchestra Brunch

33

JFED Women’s Day Luncheon

34

Paws on the Dance Floor

35

SMHF Women in Medicine

36

Pour for a Cure

37

SPARCC on the Runway

38

Sarasota Garden Club’s Gardens in Paradise

41

44 the find

May Events Calendar

29

40

• insider •

USFSM HospitaBull JoshProvides Interactive Dinner

80 spotlight Building a Life & Supporting a Legacy: Home Builder CEO David C. Hunihan

By Carol Brzozowski

88

94 art scene Visual Arts Calendar

96 MEET THE ARTIST Vicki Chelf

97 literary Scene The Power of Two:

FST’s Commitment to Kids: The Children’s Theatre

Writing Sci-Fi, Fantasy,

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

& Horror for Dummies

The Pathway to Ending Hunger Keith Monda and Veronica Brady

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

Performing Arts Calendar

Local Writers Partner on

with All Faiths Food Bank

12

92 BEST SEATS

ed matters

• philanthropy • 46

• a r t s + c ult ur e •

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

Be Informed Be Entertained Be SCENE scenesarasota.com

f r o m t h e • pu b l i s h e r t’s official! The U.S. News and World Report yet again voted Sarasota the best region in the country in which to retire.

With this comes droves of new visitors, snowbirds, permanent residents, and updates to the community. So, while the influx of new people is at an all-time high, departures, even snowbirds heading home, are at an all-time low. It also means that we will, like many other parts of the country, maintain a hot real estate market.

We take time in this issue to look at what brings people to the Suncoast, and specifically to the Sarasota/Manatee County communities. We know that the weather is great, the water is close, and we feature first-class recreational, cultural, and entertainment amenities.

Our renowned Sarasota Orchestra will be delivering wonderful performances this summer. The Manatee Performing Arts Center continually makes the arts as accessible as possible to all lovers of the arts. Florida Studio Theatre provides top-tier educational outreach programs for our youth. Plus, while we recognize that we are blessed to be in this community, programs provided by philanthropic organizations such as All Faiths Food Bank are still essential in solving what is called children’s out of school summer hunger.

In terms of the ever-changing real estate market, investments in eco-friendly building are now becoming the norm, and sustainable living has a broad meaning that includes building products, designs, and energy efficient solutions. This is not to mention that community sustainability provides for the health and wellbeing of our environment, our bodies, and our cultural souls. Part of this new eco-friendly mindset that I’ve noticed has been an uptick in e-bikes and VEO bikes continually growing around the area. Although they’ve added a modern touch to our constantly expanding region, they have also added to the heightened traffic in our day-to-day life (I am sure I am not the only one who’s noticed that their commute is becoming incrementally longer!).

Among one of the newly updated features of our area is the Legacy Trail, which has completed its northern segment ahead of schedule. The Legacy Trail is a Sarasota gem which has attracted the attention of locals, tourists, snowbirds, and new permanent Sarasotans alike. As someone who regularly cycles along the trail, I can say it is no exception to our influx of traffic. It is wonderful to see so many people out enjoying the trail. However, with this new influx, there are certain matters of etiquette that may be getting lost among the addition of e-bike travelers and groups of peddle power cyclists.

I am an advanced road bike enthusiast who can get up to an average speed of 24mph. Yet I, and others like me, keep the speed down to 15mph or less

14

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

H JOHN KNOWLES, PUBLISHER john@scenesarasota.com

Many think that The Plumbing Place is number one because of the amazing Manythink thinkthat thatThe The Plumbing Plumbing Place Place is is number one because of amazing Many number onevast because ofthe the amazing products we sell, many think it’s because of the selection on display productswe wesell, sell, many many think think it’s it’s because because of vast on display products of the the vast selection selection on display ininour beautiful showroom, and many think it’s because of our passion our beautiful showroom, and many think it’s because of our passion in our beautifulto showroom, and many thinktoit’sour because provide the best service clients. of our passion to provide the best service to our clients.

Many think that The Plumbing Place numberto one to provide the bestisservice ourbecause clients. of the amazing

The realit y is — they’re all right!

The realit all right!

The reality is — they’re all right!

products we sell, many think it’s because of the vast selection on display in our beautiful showroom, and many think it’s because of our passion to provide the best service to our clients.

The reality is — they’re all right!

� Locally owned and operated for 36 years � Locally owned and operated for 34 years ��Locally owned and operated for 34for years Hundreds of in-stock items ready pick-up � Hundreds of in-stock items ready for pick-up � Locallyofowned andshowroom operated for 34the years ��Hundreds in-stock items ready for pick-up Constantly evolving with most current products � Constantly evolving showroom with the most current products � Hundreds of in-stock items ready for pick-up ��Constantly evolving showroom the most current products Products available to fit every with budget � Products available to fit every budget � Constantly evolving showroom with the most current products � Products available to fit every budget

Kitchen Faucets/Sinks • Bathroom Faucets/Sinks • Toilets/Bidets • Accessories • Tubs/Spas • Showers • Vanities � Products available to fit every budget Kitchen Faucets/Sinks • Bathroom Faucets/Sinks • Toilets/Bidets • Accessories • Tubs/Spas ••Showers • Vanities Kitchen Faucets/Sinks • Bathroom Faucets/Sinks • Toilets/Bidets • Accessories Tubs/Spas Mirrors/Medicine Cabinets • Door Hardware • Cabinet Hardware • Lighting • Steam Systems • Water Purification • Bath Ventilation Mirrors/Medicine Cabinets • Door Hardware • Cabinet Hardware • Lighting • Steam Systems • Water Purifi cation • Bath Ventilatio Kitchen Faucets/Sinks • Bathroom Faucets/Sinks • Cabinets Toilets/Bidets • Accessories Showers • Vanities Showers • Vanities • Mirrors/Medicine • Door Hardware• Tubs/Spas • Cabinet •Hardware Kitchen Faucets/Sinks • Bathroom Faucets/Sinks • Toilets/Bidets • Accessories • Tubs/Spas • Showers • Vanities Mirrors/Medicine Cabinets • Door Hardware • Cabinet Hardware • Lighting • Steam Systems • Water Purification • Bath Ventilatio • Steam Systems • Water Purification • Bath Ventilation Mirrors/Medicine Cabinets •Lighting Door Hardware • Cabinet Hardware • Lighting • Steam Systems • Water Purification • Bath Ventilation

5678 Fruitville Road 5678 Fruitville Road34232 Sarasota, Florida 5678 Fruitville Road 5678 Fruitville Road Sarasota, Florida 34232 941.378.5678 Sarasota, Florida 34232 Sarasota, Florida 34232 941.378.5678 theplumbingplace.com 941.378.5678 941.378.5678 theplumbingplace.com theplumbingplace.com theplumbingplace.com

INSIDE THE PLUMBING PLACE

INSIDE THE PLUMBING PLACE

INSIDE THE PLUMBING PLACE

INSIDE THE PLUMBING PLACE

f r o m t h e • pu b l i s h e r

when on the trail depending on the density of users. I have at times been passed by an e-bike traveling much faster, which is fine as long as they let me know they are coming up behind me. But few, if any, give the recommended “Left side!” warning as they pass.

These new groups present a bit of an interaction challenge. I recently read an opinion piece in the Sarasota Herald Tribune which pointed out that one may encounter, “…Tour de France-wannabe cyclists who speed along the trail in groups.”

I have faced very few of these aggressive cyclists myself, but my disappointment comes from encountering groups of e-bike riders who seem blissfully unaware of other users, including dog walkers, runners, and other cyclists. Often you encounter them three or more abreast and conversational.

Several times I have come up on them and made myself known, saying “Passing on your left!” only to be ignored.

This is an accident waiting to happen, especially since you can quickly be hindered by oncoming traffic.

While I have no problem letting ill-mannered cyclists and e-bikers know that they should share the trail, many do feel too intimidated to say anything and might eventually cease their use of the trail altogether—or worse, get hurt because of it. While I don’t think e-bikes should be banned from the Legacy Trail altogether, I do believe that there must be a discussion on how to properly allow everyone to inhabit the Trail in a way that creates ease-of-use, safety, and enjoyment for all. A new set of signs specifically for e-bikers, for instance.

This being said, I’m sure those who ride regularly are following the rules, and the problem may simply be the occasional user or group of visitors out for a couple hours of enjoyment. And why not? We do live in a beautiful part of the country. Courtesy and a measure of etiquette go a long way to enjoying our Sarasota gem. E-bikes are a reality that is new to the trail.

Hopefully common consideration is a tried-and-true way of living in this vibrant community.

Elegant Global Dining

I hope to see you out enjoying the Scene, whether at a park, at the beach, at the theater, or on the trail, but basking in our wonderful community.

481GOURMETSARASOTA.COM Open for Dinner Tuesday – Sunday Reservations Suggested Call 941.362.0400 or find us on OpenTable.com 481 N Orange Ave, Sarasota, FL 16

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

H JOHN KNOWLES, PUBLISHER john@scenesarasota.com

Locally Owned and Operated Since 1957

EN

E MAGAZ

65 YEARS

UN

DED 19

E

F

O

I

N

SC

Vol. 65 No. 5

57

Publisher/Executive Editor H John Knowles Strategic Partnerships Julie A. Milton Executive Creative Director Darcy Kelly–Laviolette Digital Media & Editorial Content Coordinator Gina Liga Distribution Mike Straffin Accounting Sally A. Bailey Advertising Enquiries Paul McNamara Call/Text 917.751.6506 | paul@scenesarasota.com

Perfect for those times when you don’t want or have time to cook but still crave something delicious. Morton’s kitchen offers an amazing array of gourmet entrees and comfort foods, all prepared from scratch and packaged to go.

Save time, money and effort while savoring the city’s best take-out, hands down.

Don’t miss our huge selection of freshly made salads too!

Tom Garriott Call/Text 317.797.8135 | tom@scenesarasota.com Sharon Castellano Call/Text 203.984.7577 | sharon@scenesarasota.com Contributing Writers Ryan G. Van Cleave Sylvia Whitman Carol Brzozowski Lisa Codianne Fowler Gus Mollasis Contributing & Social Photographer Nancy Guth Contributing Photographer Cliff Roles 1834 Main Street, Sarasota, FL 34236 941.365.1119 | Fax: 941.954.5067 | scenesarasota.com

Serving the Sarasota area for over 50 years Historic Southside Village 1924 South Osprey Ave. Sarasota ∙ (941) 955-9856 MortonsMarket.com 18

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

Subscribe at scenesarasota.com/magazine/shop H John Knowles LLC, dba SCENE Magazine publishes 12 issues a year. Address editorial, advertising and circulation correspondence to the above address.

Sufficient return postage and self–addressed, stamped envelope must accompany all manuscripts, artwork and photographs submitted if they are to be returned or acknowledged. Publisher assumes no responsibility for care of return of unsolicited materials. Subscription price: $12.95 per year, $19.95 for two years. All contents copyrighted. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

Design, Build, & Remodel with a Commitment to Excellence

Personalizing your dream home should be a great experience.

From custom luxury remodels to 1-day kitchen makeovers, WCDBFL is the contractor that turns your vision into your reality—on-time and on-budget.

Visit WestcoastDesignBuildFL.com to view our vast portfolio of luxury kitchen, outdoor living, and bathroom remodeling projects. sPeaK to a remodelIng eXPert todaY! 941.260.2610 • www.westcoastdesignbuildfl.com 6222 tower lane, unit a8, sarasota, fl 34240 sales@westcoastdesignbuildfl.com cgc#1524377

thelist

• socialscene •

• scenesponsored •

MAY 2022 EVENTS CALENDAR

1–10

SARASOTA BALLET CRYSTAL GALA Performance by the Sarasota Ballet, dinner by Michael’s On East, desserts and dancing in Five Points Park.

Sarasota Opera House | sarasotaballet.org

2

RINGLING BY THE BAY Featuring live music and dancing on the Bolger Campiello.

Food and drinks available for purchase.

Ringling Museum Grounds | ringling.org

6

SUCCULENT SCIENCE & TEQUILA TASTING AT SELBY GARDENS Botany and beverages meet in the first installment of a new series called “Noshing in Nature”. Christopher Elenstar will lead a dialogue on agave, cacti, and other succulents with tequila experts from award-winning distillery Hiatus Tequila.

Downtown Sarasota Campus | Selby.org 20

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

QUALITY IS A STANDARD.

Consistency

Art.

IS AN

For more than 40 years, Lee Wetherington Homes has

constructed high-quality residential creations that embody

next-level luxury living on the Suncoast. Our team believes a dream home should be a symbol of your creativity, which

is why we take pride in designing and building custom homes wherever you’re located in Sarasota and Manatee Counties.

From the first consultation to a memorable move-in day, we can build your vision into a reality that lasts a lifetime.

941-922-3480 | LWHomes.com MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

21

• socialscene •

Lalo—Fabulous Arts & Music Fest

6

SARASOTA MEMORIAL HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION GOLF TOURNAMENT

The 20th annual golf tournament benefiting Physician’s Endowment at SMH. The event provides continuing education for health system staff and gives them the opportunity to earn new certifications and update existing credentials.

Laurel Oak Country Club | smhf.org

6

17TH ANNUAL DICK VITALE GALA

The mission of the Dick Vitale Gala is to raise funds for premiere pediatric cancer research across the nation, while simultaneously promoting awareness of pediatric cancer.

The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota | dickvitaleonline.com 22

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

9–15

3 32 ANNUAL GIRLS INC. CELEBRATION LUNCHEON Enjoy boutique shopping and a delicious luncheon.

Sarasota Municipal Auditorium | girlsincsrq.org ND

7 SIESTA KEY SAND SCULPTURE CONTEST Bring your pail, sunglasses, shovel and creativity to this annual event on the beach.

Siesta Key Beach | escape-to-sarasota.com

7 24TH ANNUAL CORVETTES ON THE CIRCLE CAR SHOW Spend the day viewing over 150 models of Corvettes from 1953 to 2022.

St. Armands Circle | starmandscircleassoc.com

FORKS AND CORKS The ultimate event for foodies and wine connoisseurs! Featuring winemaker events, upscale dinners, casual tastings and more.

Various Locations | eatlikealocal.com

12–14 FABULOUS ARTS & MUSIC FESTIVAL (FORMERLY HARVEY MILK FESTIVAL) A variety of music, art, theater and film events.

Rosemary District, Sarasota | fabaf.org

14 FOOD TRUCKS, TUNES & BLUES Over 20 food trucks, live bands, local craft beer, wine and seltzer.

Fruitville Grove | fruitvillegrovefarm.com

• socialscene •

15 SELBY GARDENS MUSIC SERIES With live music form Halie Loren, and everything from classical, folk, country, latin, jazz, soul and more.

Historic Spanish Point | selby.org

15–16

SIESTA KEY VOLLEYBALL CLASSIC Fun and sun in the sand with some great volleyball action. Free spectator admission.

Siesta Key Beach | facebook.com/digthebeach Stock up on alentine’s20 Day looks on & Company Eyewear!

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR SCHOLARSHIP & AWARDS GALA Hosted by the MLK Celebration Committee honoring our community’s youth.

Selby Gardens Downtown Campus | selby.org

FASHION ISN’T BLACK & WHITE. Find your perfect pair at Moon & Company Eyewear.

LUXURY & EXOTIC CUSTOM PRESCRIPTION EYEWEAR Call Us Today For A Free Consultation!

MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

23

• socialscene •

COMING SOON

HAMLET MAY 13-29

MAY 20-29

JUN 20-26

TICKETS | VeniceTheatre.org 20–22 SARASOTA SHRIMP & MUSIC FESTIVAL Fresh seafood, live music, and arts/ crafts marketplace.

JD Hamel Park | zapplication.org

21 SARASOTA INTERNATIONAL DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL Everyone over the age of 12 is invited to participate. Boats, life vests, paddles and coaches are provided.

Various race distances. Beer tents and food trucks onsite.

Nathan Benderson Park | nathanbendersonpark.com

24

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

25

• socialscene •

22 DIVERSITY: THE VOICES OF SARASOTA MOTOWN PERFORMANCE Celebrate the sounds of Motown, with songs by Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Four Tops, Smoky Robinson and more.

David Cohen Hal, Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center | diversitysarasota.org

22 TRIBUTE TO HEROES BLOCK PARTY & PARADE Support our local veterans and heroes with a parade filled with bands, choir groups, dance teams, floats, bikes and more.

Main Street, Lakewood Ranch | lakewoodranch.com/events

26

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

23

ASOLO REP STARRY NIGHT DINNER - KNOXVILLE Experience an exclusive dinner at a beautiful location themed to the production of Knoxville. Fine wines and exquisite foods by Michael’s On East and exciting entertainment by Asolo Rep performers.

Private Sarasota Home | asolorep.org

23 SIESTA KEY CHAMBER GOLF TOURNAMENT A unique opportunity for chamber members and guests to play a round of golf on a private , champion-style course.

Complimentary breakfast, shotgun start and an awards luncheon immediately following.

TPC Prestancia | tpcprestancia.com

• socialscene •

TUMMY TUCKS | BREAST LIFT | ARM & THIGH LIFTS | COOLSCULPTING

OPTIMIZE YOU

FAT GRAFTING | BODY SCULPTING | BREAST AUGMENTATION | LIPOSUCTION

Alissa M. Shulman M.D., F.A.C.S.

BOARD CERTIFIED PLASTIC SURGEON

941.366.LIPO (5476) WWW.SOVEREIGNPS.COM 1950 ARLINGTON STREET, SUITE 112

28 SNOOK ADAMS KIDS DAY Bring the kids and celebrate the end of the school year. Free hot dogs, pizza and drinks. Lots of games, prizes and fun for all ages.

Holmes Beach City Field | escape-to-sarasota.com

28 PATRIOTIC POPS & FIREWORKS Venice Symphony Music Director Troy Quinn has programmed an unbeatable concert of American music, patriotic songs and a tribute to our armed forces.

CoolToday Park | cooltoday.com

FRAMELESS EXPERTS Visit Our New Showroom Today for a

FREE Design

Consultation & Estimate V ISIT SCE NESAR AS OTA .COM To submit your event for consideration, please send information to scenemagazine@scenesarasota.com

941-927-2535 www.theshowershopfl.com info@theshowershopfl.com 4180 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota FL 34231

Home of the Glass & Mirror Specialists MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

27

• socialscene •

upcomingevents

4420 South Tamiami Trail, Sarasota 941.260.8905 www.shellysgiftandchristmasboutique.com Monday - Saturday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

THANKS TO YOU...

The Exchange has been a proud supporter of the arts of our community since 1962.

Find your joy Sarasota’s #1 consignment shop    

Find your joy Sarasota’s #1 consignment shop

The joy of shopping The joy of giving The joy of recycling The joy of supporting students and the arts in our community

OP H S W O N AT ONLINEEX.COM

TAW SARASckO-up in Store Pi

DONATE SHOP CONSIGN VOLUNTEER

This purchase helped support 23 Art Organizations & 22 Students during fiscal year 2019-2020

539 S. ORANGE | 941-955-7859 | OPEN MON-FRI 9-4 & SAT 10-4 | www.sarasotawex.com 28

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

JUNE 1-14 | Savor Sarasota Restaurant Week Summer never tasted so good!

Home to award-winning legendary restaurants, there is no better time to explore all the culinary world has to offer. Dozens of local restaurants feature pre-fixe multi-course lunch and dinner menus for $20 and $35 per person.

Various Locations | visitsarasota. com/savor-sarasota2022 JUNE 9-14 | US Rowing SE Youth National Championships The championship serves as the premier youth rowing event in the United States with approximately 1,500 athletes competing in more than 350 crews, representing some 150 teams from across the country – all vying for national titles in 18 boat classes.

Nathan Benderson Park | nathanbendersonpark.org JUNE 11 | St. Armands Craft Festival & Sidewalk Sale Guests enjoy works from over 175 artisans and special sales from the Circle shops.

St. Armands Circle | starmandscircleassoc.com

• socialscene •

Richard Russell

Committee Members

partypics SARASOTA OPERA GALA The 2022 Sarasota Opera Gala celebrated Maestro Victor DeRenzi’s 40th Season as Artistic Director.

The festivities began with a lively reception and then continued into the William E. Schmidt Opera Theatre for a Jubilee Concert filled with arias and heartfelt remembrances of a career that changed the face of opera on the Suncoast.

Curtis Jordan & Paige Petersen

Anna Mandina, Lisa Chavez, Jonathan Burton, Joshua Benaim & Kevin Short

Maestro DeRenzi & Stephanie Sundine DeRenzi with Baton Auction Winner Amy McGowan

Arkady Medovoy & Virginia Shearer MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

29

• socialscene • Shawny Robey, Christine Laramae & Phil Tavill

Paulette Saggio & Linnea McAlpin with co-chairs Linda Monda & John Mabardi, with Martha Werner

CHILDREN FIRST FAIRYTALE BALL On April 9, more than 300 guests traveled “into the woods” for the 22nd annual Fairytale Ball hosted by Children First at Michael’s On East.

The event included a silent auction, a guest appearance from Miss Sarasota, videos of several Children First success stories, speaker Olivia Harvey, words from Children First CEO Philip Tavill, and a record-breaking paddle raise.

Christy & Errol Sackett

Mark Creech, Adam & Kat Hughes with Liz Stamoulis

Frank & Katherine Martucci

30

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

Kathleen Coty

Phyllis & Hank Battie with Teresea & Trevor Harvey

Graeme and Dina Malloch

Renée Dedio Preininger

941.400.4235

reneeworks4u@gmail.com @preininger_property_group 8131 Lakewood Main St., Suite 201 Lakewood Ranch, FL 34202 sarasotatrustrealty.com

Sarasot

Realty Com

YourHome Sarasota Luxury Home Marketing Spe Your Sarasota Marketing Specialist

$97,000,000 in Sold & Pendin $97,000,000 in Sold & Pending Real Estate Sales in 2021 Real Estate Sales in 2021.

Thank you to my incredible clients!

Thank You to my incredible Clie

“I am so proud to represent Sarasota Trust Realty Company, a Sarasota based boutique real estate brokerage firm. Sarasota Trust Realty’s culture is centered on superior customer service and professionalism. prideRealty myself on “ I am so proud to represent SarasotaITrust Company, a these core values, as I am personally at your service from our very first conbased boutique real estate brokerage firm. Sarasota Trust R versation, through the close of your transactin and beyond. I dedicate myself cultureorisselling centered on is superior and professio to ensuring your buying journey smooth,customer skilled, andservice successfull.

I stake my reputation it every day. ” I am personally at your se pride myself on these on core values, as

our very first conversation, through the close of your transac

• socialscene • Mary Hoffman & Anne Folsom Smith

Joseph Gianguzzo, Brian Lipton & Dave Lipton

John & Fran LaCivita, Tom & Sherry Koski, with Joe McKenna Scott & Jill Levine

SARASOTA ORCHESTRA BRUNCH

Pianist Kristian Mendoza

On March 27, over 300 guests gathered in the ballroom at Michael’s On East to enjoy a delicious brunch and learn about important education programs that benefit our community. Performances included the John Miller Jazz Ensemble, a featured Youth Orchestra Ensemble, and the 2021 Edward & Ida Wilkof Young Artists Concerto Competition winner. Proceeds benefit Sarasota Orchestra Education Programs.

Valeri Gill & Susan Hines

32

Mark Pritchett

Debbie & Dan Dannheisser

Harry Leopold & Audrey Robbins

Co-Chairs Howard Allison Madsen, Anne Virag & Lydia Landa

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

• socialscene • Mary Collier, Lauren Kurnov, Kyla Weiner

Janis Collier, Jennifer Weiner, Wendy Mann Resnick

Ronnie Riceberg, Janet Tolbert, Mikki Pertofsky

JFED WOMEN’S DAY The Jewish Federation of SarasotaManatee hosted its first in person Women’s Day event since 2019 on April 4th at Michaels On East. Chaired by Janis Collier and Wendy Mann Resnick, the event featured New York Times best-selling author Jennifer Weiner, who entertained the crowd of more than 250 with stories about her family, her work and her passion for cycling. Photos by Cliff Roles.

Jennifer Weiner speaking to a sold-out crowd at Michaels On East

MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

33

Derric Gobourne, .Jr. and The Thrill

• socialscene •

Shelley Sarbey & Tatiana Steward

Jason Albert

PAWS ON THE DANCE FLOOR Paws on the Dance Floor was a smash hit on April 8th, 2022 at the Art Ovation Hotel. Guests came dressed as their favorite musical decade and performers. There were flappers, hippies, disco dancers, and more. The successful event raised over $100,000 for the shelter and its mission.

Janet Rice, Amanda Schubert & Lori Hines

Daria Fairchild & Angelina Spino

34

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

Amie Austin & Umbreen Khalidi-Majeed

• socialscene • Dr. Alissa Shulman

Graci McGillicuddy & Becky Thornhill

Co-Chairs Sandi Stuart, Mason Ayers & Gwen MacKenzie

SMHF WOMEN IN MEDICINE On March 25, 2022, over 350 guests attended Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation’s ninth annual Women & Medicine Educational Luncheon held at Michael’s on East. The program featured a panel discussion from leading oncology experts on gynecologic cancers, including genetic testing and personalized treatment. Proceeds from the luncheon will help support the expansion of the Genetics Counseling Program at Sarasota Memorial.

Nikki Sedacca & Ann Logan

Dottie Bear Garner & BJ Creighton

THANK YOU TO OUR

2022 SPONSORS

SCIENTIST SPONSOR - $10,000

RESEARCHER SPONSOR - $5,000 Janice S. Kelly Memorial Foundation

Robert & Beverly Bartner Diane and Dick Mayer

Barbara and Gary Rodkin

Sandi Stuart and Mike Murray

Deb Kabinoff

Jim and Charlie Ann Syprett

DISCOVERER - $2,500 The Community Foundation of Sarasota County Barbara Franke Karen Hamad, M.D. Douglas and Gwen MacKenzie

941.917.1286

Radiology Associates of Florida, PA Sarasota Emergency Associates State Street Eating House + Cocktails USF Federal Credit Union

smhf.org

MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

35

• socialscene • Tim Taylor & Margaret Wise

Terri Klauber, David Koffman & Michael Klauber

Letitia Carney, Nate Jacobs & Maria Beck

POUR FOR A CURE Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe founder and artistic director, Nate Jacobs, was celebrated by his friends at SRQ Waterworks for his nomination as the Leukemia Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) 2022 Man of the Year. Nate is competing in a 10-week capital campaign to raise funds in support of local cancer research and patient care powered by LLS. Richard Carney & Tim Mitten

Michael Mendez, Donna Koffman, Raleigh Mosely & Jeremy Shelby

handcrafted hardwood furniture for every room of your home.

dutchhausfurniture .com 3737 Bahia Vista St. Sarasota, FL 34232 - 941.952.5646 6100 N Lockwood Ridge Rd. Sarasota, FL 34243 - 941.960.2942 36

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

Dawn Spencer, Clara Reynardus De Villanueva, Geri Waksler, Gail Cardillo, Janet Lange & Charlotte Stewart

• socialscene •

Your One-Stop Kitchen & Bath Remodeling Shop Competitive Pricing • Locally Owned

Barbara Gardner

SPARCC ON THE RUNWAY Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center (SPARCC) held its annual fashion runway show at The Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota on March 18, 2022. This sold-out event was attended by over 500 guests who eagerly shopped for trendy items at very fair prices. Volunteers modeled designer attire from SPARCC’s Treasure Chest boutique. SPARCC serves Sarasota and DeSoto counties in domestic violence and sexual assault.

Karen Kent & Darci Jacob

Schedule your FREE consultation today!

941-284-9220 • www.southshorekitchenandbath.com 1333 N Washington Blvd, Unit D Carol Beeler

Sarasota, FL 34236 MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

37

• socialscene •

SARASOTA GARDEN CLUB GARDENS IN PARADISE On March 26, the Sarasota Garden Club hosted their biggest fundraiser event of the year, Gardens in Paradise. More than 800 guests toured several beautiful gardens in the community. The Garden Club hosted a lunch following the tour, where Mable Ringling greeted guests and answered many historical questions. Photos by Rick Benitez.

38

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

NEW LUXURY STUNNING NEW RESIDENCES IN PRIME LOCATIONS

5027 SANDY COVE AVENUE SIESTA KEY WATERFRONT

2845 SF 3 Bd, 3.5 Ba Waterfront Pool/Spa $3,750,000

2112 MONTCLAIR DRIVE PHILLIPPI BAYOU

2551 SF 3 Bd, 3 Ba 3 Car Garage Pool/Spa $2,930,000

Work With An Experienced PROFESSIONAL With a Proven Record of SUCCESS

7910 MIDNIGHT PASS ROAD SIESTA KEY

3868 SF 3 Bd, 5 Ba Waterfront Pool/Spa $3,350,000

1709 N LAKE SHORE DRIVE OYSTER BAY ESTATES

3875 SF 4 Bd, 4 Ba 3 Car Garage Pool/Spa $3,397,500

KAREN CASH GRECO, P.A. 941.504.6927 GrecoRealEstateFL.com

gRECO REAL ESTATE LIcensed

Real

Estate

B roker

• socialscene • Clara Villanueva, Carol Butera & Audrey Robbins

Dr. Anila Jain & Bill Mariotti

Sterling Michel, Phillip King, & Diana Michel

Dr. Karen Holbrook & Patricia Brylska

USFSM HOSPITABULL On March 22, the USF School of Hospitality and Tourism Management held their annual HospitaBull at The RitzCarlton, Sarasota. After a two-year hiatus, over 250 guests, sponsors, faculty, staff and students enjoyed an elegant dinner prepared in partnership by students of the hospitality program and the Ritz-Carlton culinary staff.

Rob & Jennifer Rominiecki

John Knowles

Sunday, May 15, 2022 | 11:30 aM On the AvivA CAmpus

For sponsorship opportunities and tickets, please contact monica Caldwell: 941-724-8804 or mcaldwell@avivaseniorlife.org 40

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

• socialscene • Peter Fischer & Mary Fischer

Ed Scharf

Sandi Chapnick, Traci Smullen & Andria Bilan

JOSHPROVIDES I INTERACTIVE DINNER & AUCTION Chaired by Traci Smullen, JoshProvides Epilepsy Assistance Foundation celebrated a fun-filled evening at Michael’s On East with Phil Mancini and Chef Jamil Pineda leading the fourcourse Interactive Dinner with 200 guests doing the cooking.

Kaitlyn, who has grand mal seizures, and her mother Erin, thanked guests for their support so she could obtain Mowgli, her trained seizure response dog. The event raised more than $160,000 to support children, families, and individuals diagnosed with epilepsy and other seizure disorders.

Amber Thomsen & Inna Snyder

Erin, Kaitlyn & Mowgli

Designer Floors at Warehouse Prices

Largest Selection of Waterproof Flooring in Sarasota/Bradenton Call or Visit Our Website to Request a Free Flooring Estimate 941.315.2988 • yourflooringwarehouse.com 3333 N. Washington Blvd, Sarasota, FL 34234 MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

41

Remington Reynolds , Steve Gareleck, Elizabeth Moore, Casey Brown, & Kenneth Paslaqua. Photo by Cliff Roles.

2022 ELIZABETH MOORE SARASOTA OPEN Photos by Nancy Guth So ended the Finals of the 2022 Elizabeth Moore Sarasota Open. The ATP 100 Mens’ Challenger Tournament, which had been previously held at more remote venues, wrapped up on Easter Weekend at its new downtown Payne Park home. This central location attracted tennis fans to downtown Sarasota from all over the region, as well as from out of state, beniffitting local businesses with increased traffic and activity.

Says Virginia Haley of Visit Sarasota, “It was great to have the Sarasota Open happen in the heart of Sarasota for the first time. The tournament really showcased the marvelous Payne Park tennis facility and all of the amazing downtown Sarasota restaurants, entertainment, and shopping. I am excited about the future of this event” In partnership with the city of Sarasota, new owners Steve Gareleck and Remington Reynolds, as well as minority owners Kenneth Paslaqua and tournament title sponsor Elizabeth Moore, brought together a substantial volunteer group to make this a well-attended and successful event.

The stands and VIP sections were nearly at capacity every day.

The addition of USTA regulation lights also allowed for some electrifying nighttime match play, and will now make evening play possible for Payne Park tennis patrons year-round.

Although most came to watch tennis, the fun didn’t stop there. Both adults and youths had the opportunity to attend free tennis clinics with instruction from tennis legends Nick Bollettieri and Brian Gottfried. Other events included 42

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

Bill Sadlo, Barbara Lancer, Christina Bonilla & Amy Lyons

Nick Bollettieri with youth clinic

Youth Night, where free sandwiches, drinks, and tickets were provided to over 100 kids to enjoy an evening match, and Ladies Night, which featured a book signing by former USTA president and CEO, and current Director of the Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program, Katrina Adams. Live and silent auctions at the 2022 Tennis Ball benefitted the Boys and Girls Clubs of Sarasota and Desoto Counties, and on April 12, a check for $10,000 was presented to Bill Sadlo, BGCSDC Executive Director, by the event’s owners alongside City Commissioner Hagen Brody, who was instrumental in bringing the tournament to its new location.

This year’s tournament was voiced by master of ceremonies Ray Collins. ATP players ranked as high as th top 100 in the world in the world played both in singles and doubles competing for a total purse of $106,000. Even more desired than the winning prize money were the 100 ATP points that the singles winner would receive in order to improve not only his ranking but also possision himself to obtain a covitted wild card into the French Open.

The Singles winner was Daniele Galan from Colombia, who won in 3 sets against American player Steve Johnson from California.

Doubles champs were Robert Galloway and Jackson Withrow against Swedish player André Göransson and American player Nathaniel Lammons. Galloway and Withrow only recently became Doubles partners, Lammons actually having been both their individual partners on previous tours. Many of the tournament players will be moving on to the Open at Tallahassee, then on to the Club Car Championship in Savannah, both ATP 100 tournaments.

Katrina Adams

MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

43

• insider •

SKINMEDICA’S “AWARD-WINNING SYSTEM” This combination of award-winning SkinMedica products targets the appearance of skin aging, sagging, hydration, and discoloration. Includes the following products: TNS Advanced + Serum, HA5 Rejuvenating Hydrator and Lytera 2.0 Pigment Correcting Serum.

Re3 Healing Aesthetics & Wellness $542 | re3healing.brilliantconnections.com

thefind

By Gina Liga U n i q u e G i f t s t o C e l e b r at e You r M om

SAPPHIRE AND DIAMOND JEWELRY 18k Blue Sapphire and Diamond Bangle paired with an 18k White Gold and Diamond Necklace.

The Exchange Necklace: $2,722.46 Bangle: $5,362

TOTE BAG This versatile 18x18 bag is a great way for mom to show her Sarasota style! It features edge-to-edge sublimation printing in vibrant full color, a coastalthemed nautical map of the Sarasota area and a water-resistant exterior.

Rugs as Art $39 | rugsasart.com 44

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

• insider •

SILVER MERMAID SEQUINED PURSE Whether you’re at the market, the beach, or just out on the town, this Touch of Style tote bag will help you sparkle and shine.

Darci $98 | shopdarci.com

ANGEL FIGURINE This beautiful angel figurine stands 16.5” tall and is made by Delto. A unique decor item for around the house and a sweet reminder of Mom’s own precious “angels”.

Shelly’s Gifts & Christmas Boutique $33 | shellysgiftandchristmasboutique.com

SATIN BAND RINGS Let Mom show off her unique style with one of these satin band rings. Choose diamonds or colorful gemstones flush-set against rose, white or yellow satin-finished gold.

Gold and Diamond Source $1,799 – $2,199 | VIP@GoldandDiamond.com

MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

45

• ph i la n t hr o p y •

The Pathway to

ENDING HUNGER Keith Monda and Veronica Brady

By Ryan G.Van Cleave • Photo by Nancy Guth

Keith Monda and Veronica Brady are committed to helping end hunger. Their experiences separately and together have informed their work, raising resources and awareness about the issue in our region.

When former President and COO of Coach Inc. Keith retired to Sarasota, he created a clear philanthropy plan because he didn’t want his efforts to be like spreading peanut butter. “So, I asked myself what are the things that are most important to me? It was children, education, and conservation.” Helping children quickly grew to a top-level interest.

Former wealth advisor Veronica’s commitment to the community was evidenced throughout her community volunteer efforts and her time at both Gulf Coast Community Foundation and The Bay. Working together, Keith and Veronica helped implement programs to teach kids how to read, make sure they’re safe in a pool, and get support for those who suffer from mental illness.

Keith explains that “there’s a whole plethora of things that all kind of weave together, but at the heart of it is this—if they don’t get fed, nothing else works.”

46

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

The idea of people going hungry had been on his mind for a long time. Years ago, as an economics student at The Ohio State University, a woman Keith knew pinned a note to his door that said: Can you help me out? I don’t have any money and my kids are hungry.

Keith saved that note. Decades later, it serves as a constant reminder of the obligation he feels to make sure people get fed. It’s sometimes hard to believe, but children in our community know food instability and hunger just like that Ohio woman’s family did. Nearly 50% of children in Sarasota County qualify for free or reduced school lunch, while over 90% of those in DeSoto County do as well—so many, in fact, that their school district is allowed to provide lunch to every child for free.

When a study on childhood hunger revealed that fewer than 5% of local students who received free or reduced meals had access to nutritious food over the summer, Keith, Veronica (then with Gulf Coast) and All Faiths Food Bank CEO Sandra Frank, co-founded the Campaign Against Summer Hunger.

• ph i la n t hr o p y •

To engage donors, they devised a new strategy for funding the Campaign. “Investor-level” donors were asked to give a gift that could be replicated in future years. “We knew that the issue of summer hunger wasn’t going away,” says Veronica. “We wanted to be able to come back in following years to ask again.” The cumulative of that support during a “quiet phase” of the Campaign became a matching challenge for the community.

That first year (2014) the goal was to raise one million dollars to feed 15,000 children, but they exceeded that by raising $1.2 million and reaching more kids. And the generosity and impact has continued. “One thing that I find particular gratifying,” Keith says about subsequent years of the Campaign, “is that the number of repeat donors is above 80%. That just tells you that people get it. They’re committed. We’re absolutely thrilled.”

In 2021, the goal was to reach $1.6 million to ensure that 35,000 children were fed over the summer. The Campaign is more than just fundraising, though. It’s more than just buying and distributing food or improving access to food and distribution infrastructure for at-risk children

and their families. It’s also about raising awareness that there are thousands of children in our community who are at risk for hunger. “It’s not that people don’t care,” Keith says, “it’s more that there’s a lack of awareness and understanding. We continue to try to make that change.”

While some might assume local food pantries are picking up the slack, regulations and restrictions make it hard for many to have their needs met. For example, at a federal funded Summer BreakSpot distribution site, you can’t take food offsite, and you can’t get food for others who aren’t physically there. As one way to overcome this challenge, All Faiths Food Bank creates “backpacks,” which are biodegradable plastic bags filled with kidfriendly food that people can swing by and take during the summer as needed.

Some years ago, Keith and Veronica witnessed the success of the backpack program firsthand when they visited the RL Taylor Community Center. The director pointed out a perhaps-10-year-old boy who came in every morning and picked up an armful of backpacks to bring home to feed his five younger siblings. “I remember thinking about MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

47

• ph i la n t hr o p y •

ities l i b a t s a the P ss! are endle

All Pasta Made In-House.

Call Now to Reserve Your Your Table 941.349.1423 | cafegabbiano.com 5104 Ocean Blvd | Siesta Key OPEN DAILY 5PM-10PM

Can’t Get Enough of Scene Magazine?

“Food insecurity across the country is something we simply have to change.”

—Keith Monda that impact,” Veronica says. “Summer hunger doesn’t just reach the school-aged children. It’s also about kids who are younger than school age, or even those who are older, including those who drop out to support their family. We really need to make sure that we’re catching all kids and meeting them where the need is.”

For years, Keith has continuously supported All Faiths by funding their facility expansion, programs, and staff positions. He was also a founding investor in All Faiths’ Food and Resource Center in DeSoto County, which seeks to address rural hunger.

Keith has also sought to fight childhood hunger on a national level, too. Since 2012, he’s served as Chair on the Board of Directors of Feeding America, the national network of food banks to which All Faiths belongs. Their network of 200+ food banks feeds more than 40 million people each year through the efforts of food pantries, shelters, soup kitchens, and various other agencies.

Though this summer is Keith’s final Board meeting, it doesn’t signal that his or Veronica’s commitment to fight hunger is over. “Food insecurity across the country is something we simply have to change,” he explains. “Ten years ago, at Feeding America, one of the mantras was ‘let’s shorten the [food] line.’ Now the conversation is ‘How do we end hunger?’”

V I S I T S C E N E S A R A S O TA .C O M A N D S U B S C R I B E TO O U R E- N EWSLET TERS + F O L LOW U S O N S O C I A L !

Raising awareness and encouraging others to participate is at the heart of Keith and Veronica’s belief in how ending hunger is possible. As All Faith’s 2022 Campaign is well underway, they know, “Together we CAN make a difference.”

F O R M O R E IN F O R M AT IO N

941. 3 6 5 .1119 • s c e n e s a r a s o t a . c o m 48

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

about All Faiths Food Bank, please visit www.allfaithsfoodbank.org or call 941.379.6333.

FILM CAMPS ARE BACK! Summer 2022

Sign up at SarasotaFilmFestival.com/FilmCamps MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

49

REAL ESTATE POWERHOUSE

The Local & Global Impact of Michael Saunders & Company

By Sylvia Whitman • Photos by Barbara Banks

50

SARASOTA SARASOTA SCENE SCENE | | MAY MAY2022 2022

If you haven’t heard of Michael Saunders & Company, you probably haven’t lived here long. Its white-on-blue signs hang from swing posts on for-sale properties across Sarasota, Charlotte, Manatee, and Lee counties, especially along the waterfront. Its origin story has passed into local lore—how a native daughter and single mother borrowed $5,000 in 1976 to found her own firm and grew it into a multi-billion-dollar business that spans residential and commercial real estate, as well as new development and a multitude of support services.

As elsewhere in the United States, real estate on the Gulf Coast has boomed during the pandemic. If you feed on quantitative data, digest these numbers: In 2021, Michael Saunders & Company generated $4.79 billion in sales volume, including a record high $161 million from the commercial division, which vaulted to the number 1 spot in Sarasota. But financial success accounts for only part of the firm’s allure. A collaborative team of loyal agents, staff, and leadership operate out of 24 branch offices.

If you warm to qualitative data, browse the anonymous posts on the review site Glassdoor: “It’s all about the FEELING you get when you [are] affiliated with Michael Saunders,” wrote one employee. “Excellence, Integrity, Communication & Mutual Profitability. She expects NOTHING less than absolute professionalism out of each of us and we honor her by doing just that.”

The “she” is Michael Saunders, of the trademark colorful scarves. But you probably knew that if you’ve lived here more than a New York minute.

WHAT’S IN A NAME? Saunders’s parents named her for an Elizabethan ancestor, English poet Michael Drayton. As a child, she moved with them from Tampa to north Longboat Key, where her father opened a marina. “I grew up in a family of entrepreneurs, some more successful than others,” she says. “But entrepreneurial thinking held that you could do anything you wanted in life—if you were prepared to pay the price.”

As she grew up with sand between her toes, as she puts it, she wondered where her vocation lay.

At Florida State University, she majored in history and psychology with a deep desire to attend law school. She knew she wanted to make a difference. “That may sound very simplistic, but I think a vision is clear, simple and the driving force of an organization. The complexity comes with the layers that you add to make that vision a reality.”

Photo Courtesy of Michael Saunders & Co

She returned to Manatee County and taught public school for a year to help earn money for law school. “It was very difficult to make a true difference in the lives of students.

I had 180 each day. If a student went to sleep in class, I didn’t know whether I bored them to tears, whether they came from an abusive household, or whether they had an early morning paper route.”

Another door to making a difference opened for Michael: serving as a probation officer. With a small caseload, she visited homes, schools, and churches during dependency investigations. Saunders listened, asked questions, and forged relationships with families. But late-night trips to jail conflicted with motherhood.

The entrepreneurial seed began to sprout. Saunders had tremendous people skills, and she thought the Gulf Coast was one the best places in the world to live. Real estate?

Finding the right home—”that decision can make a huge impact on your life and your family’s life,” she says.

As she apprenticed with brokers, she recognized the industry’s potential and shortcomings. “Standards were very different in those days. It was kind of a good old boys’ network with part-time agents.” Making a difference struck her as a full-time job.

Saunders wanted to do things differently. “I wanted to raise the bar. I wanted a value-based company. I wanted agents to dress professionally and be professional.” As an agent herself, she knew agents needed resources and support to be successful.

MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

51

Saunders knew she needed to surround herself with like-minded individuals who shared the same drive to make a difference.

“I found that there were people who felt the same way in the industry, who wanted to believe in something, who wanted to have a common set of values and culture, who wanted that safety net of someone in the lead who wouldn’t stand for unethical behavior,” Saunders says.

Saunders has always welcomed differences of opinion, just not differences of values. She anticipated, rightly, that like-minded agents and staff would stand “shoulder to shoulder” with her whatever the hurdles ahead. “I’ve never had a goal of being a large company. I just wanted to do it better every day. If you do something 1% better every day, think where you will be at the end of the year.”

Or at the end of 46 years.

A SON ADDS STRENGTH Part 2 of the origin story features Michael’s son, Drayton, who grew up with the business and, in the way of young adults, wanted nothing to do with it. Or Sarasota. After graduating from Colgate University in New York, he decamped to Santiago, Chile, where he owned a bagel and coffee shop. But in 2001, during one of Drayton’s visits home, Michael asked if he might want to join the family firm.

She had a vision of her own firm, selling what she knew best—no dry land, just the coast, because she understood “all the benefits and joys of living in nature, how it nourishes your soul and nourishes your spirit.” But no local bank in 1976 would lend a woman $5,000 to set up shop without a male co-signer. A customer, Siggy Levy, stepped up. When Saunders informed her broker boss, he advised her to hang onto the nameplate on her desk: She’d be back. While praising her excellent salesmanship, he told her that she was “going to be terrible at running a real-estate company.”

She made her nameplate her shingle and opened her first office on St. Armand’s Circle in 1976.

In the early days, the name “Michael” got her the phone call or the meeting, with people assuming she was a man. But the value statement proved more important than gender association. Naming the company after herself demonstrated her willingness to put her credibility on the line. Adding “& Company” acknowledged that she couldn’t undertake this venture by herself.

52

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

He did. Two years later, Chilean business sold, 31-yearold Drayton moved back to town. He started work with Michael Saunders & Company in mortgage and title—and rotated through other divisions.

Today he’s president, to his mother’s CEO. Selling real estate isn’t rocket science, Drayton says, but it’s complex, and emotional on the residential side.

“It’s not a transactional skill set. It is a human skill set.

You talk about lifestyle; lifestyle is a proxy for your life dreams, right?” First-time home buyers, second- or thirdhome buyers, retirees, downsizers—for everyone, “the core of a real-estate decision is a life event,” Drayton says. “Building trust, listening to that need, providing in-depth market and neighborhood data, and being an advisor without being the decider—that’s what a good agent does.”

Drayton has experienced the mercurial extremes of real estate, first the recession of 2007 and lately the COVID-

era spike. Being prepared to face every challenge and opportunity is the hallmark of a strong and sustainable real estate company, Drayton observes. Real estate is always local, “one of those trite sayings, but one that is really true.”

Today’s strong market has accelerated shifts underway before the pandemic. The old assumption that most out-of-state buyers drove down from the Midwest to the Gulf Coast crumbled as more flights landed at SRQ. As the coronavirus hit cities hard and remote work untethered workers from the office, Sarasota’s appeal broadened. “You began to see in the last two years far more in-migration from the Northeast in particular,” Drayton says. At the same time, the region is luring house hunters priced out of places like California, New York, and even some markets within Florida, such as Naples.

The global market is also readjusting. Pre-internet, an international traveler might return home to Sweden, England, or France after a vacation and talk up Sarasota’s beaches, culture, and laid-back atmosphere within a small circle of friends. Technology has transformed word-of-mouth marketing.

“As we’ve grown as a company,” Drayton says, “we’ve layered into that networking with an international audience. We are connected to affiliate companies nationally and internationally because it really is a global market.”

The pandemic interrupted travel, however. International buyers are just now returning. Michael Saunders & Company stays connected both online and offline with network partners of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, Luxury Portfolio International, and Mayfair International—extending the company’s reach nationally and internationally. Drayton notes, “Having access to these premier brokers who have strong footholds and commanding market-share in their respective markets is important to our agents and customers alike.”

The company is expanding robustly into new home development and commercial real estate. Here again, Michael Saunders & Company makes the most of its long and deep ties to the area. Both developers and businesspeople “don’t want to come in and just do one thing; they’re committing to the overall Gulf Coast market area” in establishing new businesses and developments.

Growth and expansion are part of Michael Saunders & Company’s strategic plan for the future.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE WRIT LARGE In addition to selling the Gulf Coast, Michael Saunders & Company is vested in it. “Michael and I have been very passionate about being involved in things that we feel drive our brand as a region,” Drayton says.

He points to Michael’s involvement with Mote Marine, Selby Gardens, West Coast Black Theatre Troupe, and The Education Foundation of Sarasota County, and his with The Bay, the Van Wezel Foundation, and the new performing arts hall aborning, among other nonprofits.

The MSC Foundation, founded in 2011, engages the company’s agents, staff, and leadership team to give back to the communities that have brought the company so much success over its 46 years. Last year it hit its goal of raising $1 million. Agents and staff fund and run the MSC Foundation (Michael and Drayton match contributions). With two grant cycles a year, the MSC Foundation has given grants to 241 local organizations in Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties that provide “shelter, sustenance, education, and a path to self-sufficiency.”

MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

53

MSC Foundation. Photo Courtesy of Michael Saunders & Co

The company also recognizes that what makes this region such a great place to live and work brings with it the infrastructure challenges of newcomers—more traffic, for instance, and rising housing costs that strap younger and lower-income workers. Although Michael Saunders & Company first established its niche with waterfront, aka luxury properties, Michael notes that agents now sell at all price points. Solving the affordable housing crisis requires a public-private partnership, she believes, and creative solutions facilitated by nonprofit, government, and business leaders.

Michael and Drayton agree that the company draws its strength from trustful relationships—agents with clients, company with agents, community with company. “We not only want to make the company better; we want to make the community better,” Michael says.

With a succession plan well in place, Michael Saunders could consider less work and more play. She has full confidence in Drayton and her leadership team. “It’s not as much about me anymore but rather ensuring that the legacy of making a difference endures.” Drayton has even supplied playmates, two grandchildren whom she adores.

Michael concedes that she wouldn’t mind more play time with them, and more travel and fly fishing. “But I never have been able to stop and start a day and say, Okay, this is work time and this is Michael time,” she says. “It all kind of blends together.”

Michael Saunders still feels the call of business and community involvement. “You can’t retire from passion,” she says.

54

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

PRSRT STD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

EDDM Retail

10% OFFThe Largest Selection of Contemporary &

Shah Shah Abbas Abbas Shah Abbas F I N E

42

Hand Washing 4801 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34231 Serving Florida Serving Florida Trail, Traditional 4801 S. Trail, Sarasota, 34231 Quality Rugs in the FL Southeast!

4801 S. Tamiami Sarasota, FLTamiami 34231 and Cleaning Since 941.366.6511 ◆ www.ShahAbbasRug.com Since1980 1980 941.366.6511 ◆ www.ShahAbbasRug.com 941.366.6511 ◆ card! www.ShahAbbasRug.com with this

Serving Florida Since 1980

I ANELEL RERRUUYGG GGAAL LL LE ERRYY R U G F FIGN

nd

Sizes from 2’x3’ to palace size rugs in stock!

HAND CLEANING

Sale SAVE OFF!45–65% 42 Sale 42 Anniversary Anniversary Sale SAVE SAVE 45–65% OFF! Shah Abbas Shah Abbas

ndnd Anniversary

PRSRT STD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE

F I N E PAIDR U G EDDM Retail

◆◆ 45–65%

◆

PRSRT STD ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

EDDM Retail

Serving Florida Since 1980

G A FL ILNE ER YR U G

G A L L E R Y

Serving Florida Trail, Sarasota, 4801 S. Tamiami 4801 S. Tamiami FL 34231Trail, Sarasota, FL 34231 Since 1980◆ www.ShahAbbasRug.com 941.366.6511 941.366.6511 ◆ www.ShahAbbasRug.com

10% OFF

Hand Washing 10% OFF ◆ SAVE 42 Anniversary 42 Anniversary Sale ◆ SAVESale 45–65% OFF! 45–65% OFF! and Cleaning Hand Washing nd

nd

with this ad!

and Cleaning with this card!

PADDING REPAIR & RESTORATION HAND CLEANING

Shah Abbas F I N E

R U G

GPADDING A LREPAIR L E& RESTORATION R Y

Serving Florida Since 1980

Shah Abbas

4801 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34231 PADDING, REPAIR & RESTORATION 941.366.6511 ◆ www.ShahAbbasRug.com F I N E

R U G

G A L L E R Y

◆ Selection Mondayofthru Saturday&10:00 am – 4:00 pmRugs ◆ Complimentary The Largest Contemporary Traditional Quality in the Southeast! Pick-up & Delivery ◆ Serving Florida Since 1980

Shah Abbas TheLargest LargestSelection SelectionofofContemporary Contemporary&&Traditional TraditionalQuality Quality Rugs Rugs in in the the Southeast!

Southeast!

The 4801 S. Tamiami Sarasota, FL 34231 The Largest Selection TheofLargest Contemporary Selection &ofTraditional Contemporary Quality & Traditional Rugs in theQuality Southeast!

Rugs in the Trail, Southeast!

Sizes from 2’x3’ to Palace-size Rugs in Stock! ◆ No Obligation In-Home Trial

941.366.6511 SizesTrail, from 2’x3’ to Palace-size Sizes Rugs from in2’x3’ Stock! to ◆ Palace-size No Obligation Rugs In-Home in Stock! ◆ Trial No Obligation In-Home Trial ◆ www.ShahAbbasRug.com 4801 S. Tamiami Sarasota, FL 34231 941.366.6511 www.ShahAbbasRug.com

◆ Monday thru Saturday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm ◆ Complimentary ◆ F I N E R UPick-up G G&ADelivery L L E R Y

Serving Florida Since 1980 Sizesfrom from2’x3’ 2’x3’totoPalace-size Palace-sizeRugs RugsininStock!

Stock!◆◆No NoObligation ObligationIn-Home In-HomeTrial Trial Sizes

4801 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34231 941.366.6511 ◆ www.ShahAbbasRug.com

◆ Monday thru Saturday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm ◆ Complimentary Pick-up & Delivery ◆

Read about local women of impact & inspiration in Sarasota Scene’s special triennial issue.

Out in print & online now Visit scenesarasota.com or call 941.365.1119 to learn more about this special issue!

MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

55

Share Your Journey!

Have you recently traveled somewhere incredible?

Taken a vacation nearby, or far away? Whether it was by land, air, or sea, we want to see photos of your journey.

Scan QR code to upload photos and description of your trip to be considered for our June Summer Issue.

56

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

Deadline: May 9th

!

D L O S

s in s d nd o r ic e o p c to es t 5 es ig h h op m T o e h th he mily g t a n sid e f i n s i le ca k ! s i ng lo o le d l h ow i s f 22 a l m fu ro re , 20 ’ ve 4 F y e l t o i i l w s n?

Apr n’t u r io ies, to w ug h t C i o t oes r . n n d h e ie s mu 21 t ho nific u nt om , 20 o g c 4 c l a i m ee Apr c lu b o ur na t y ro m f a r t d M n er io co u and th p a n t to o m as o 12S ar he t r n i s fo le s s ale t sa ed e ho m

W h hig Bas

es

ed

on

Sr ML

epo

rt

MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

57

Top 5 Single Family Home Sales Sarasota County Listing Agents (first) and Selling Agents included

171 S Washington Dr

1900 Casey Key Rd, Nokomis 1900 Casey Key Rd, Nokomis

$10,060,00—12/29/21 Bruce Myer, Coldwell Banker Realty Alexis Smith-Frady, Compass Florida 1313 Westway Dr $11,500,000—03/07/22 LISTING & SELLING AGENT: Roger Pettingell, Coldwell Banker Realty 4300 Higel Ave $12,000,000—10/15/21 LISTING & SELLING AGENT: Mark Coppens, Living Vogue 7712, 7711 & 7760 Sanderling Rd $14,000,000­—12/09/21 Donna-Wright Morgan, Coldwell Banker Sunstar Realty Darla Fairchild, Coldwell Banker Realty 1900 Casey Key Rd $16,500,000—04/28/21 Joel Schemmel, Premier Sotheby’s Intl Realty Jennifer Linehan, Michael Saunders & Co

58

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

1313 Westway Dr, Sarasota

Top 5 Single Family Homes Manatee County Listing Agents (first) and Selling Agents included

5050 Gulf of Mexico Dr, LBK $9,100,000­—07/22/21 Alan Atchley, Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate Judie Berger, Premier Sotheby’s Intl Realty 6600 Bayou Hammock Rd, LBK $9,750,000—04/20/21 Bill Anderson & Mark Baron, Michael Saunders & Co JoDene Moneuse, Michael Saunders & Co 5965 Gulf of Mexico Dr, LBK $10,150,000—06/01/21 Roger Pettingell, Coldwell Banker Realty Joel Schemmel, Premier Sotheby’s Intl Realty 6211 Gulf of Mexico Dr, LBK 5050 Gulf of Mexico Dr, LBK

$10,400,000—02/07/22 Donna-Wright Morgan, LISTING & SELLING AGENT: Judy Kepecz-Hays, Coldwell Banker Realty 100 Beach Ave, Anna Maria $16,000,000—02/02/22 Charles Buky, Coldwell Banker Realty Lisa Morris, Premier Sotheby’s Intl Realty

100 Beach Ave, Anna Maria 100 Beach Ave, Anna Maria

4740 Ocean Blvd., Oceane, Siesta Key

MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

59

Ritz-Carlton Residences, Sarasota

EPOCH, Sarasota

EPOCH, Sarasota

Top 5 Condo Sales Sarasota County Listing Agents (first) and Selling Agents included

EPOCH, Sarasota 605 S Gulfstream #12 $9,700,000—01/22/2022

Ritz-Carlton Residences, Sarasota Quay Commons PH 1801 $7,908,600—04/20/2021 Julia DeCastro & Perry Corneau, Michael Saunders & Co Roger Pettingell, Coldwell Banker Residential Realty Ritz-Carlton Residences, Sarasota Quay Commons PH 1903 $8,927,943—04/12/2021 Listing & Selling Agents: Julia DeCastro & Perry Corneau, Michael Saunders & Co 60

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

Dianne Anderson, RE/MAX Platinum Realty Adam Cuffaro, Michael Saunders & Co EPOCH, Sarasota 605 S Gulfstream PH 18 $9,747,250—05/13/2021 Listing & Selling Agent: Amy Drake, Property Perspectives Group Ritz-Carlton Residences, Sarasota Quay Commons PH 1903 $10,575,000—02/11/2022 Nora Johnson & Klaus Lang, Michael Saunders & Co Beth Afflebach & Joan Dickinson, Michael Saunders & Co

Top 5 Condo Sales Manatee County

5622 Gulf Dr, Holmes Beach Vista Grande $2,700,000—06/11/2021

Listing Agents (first) and Selling Agents included

Jen Sekel, Anna Maria Island Beaches Realty Don Purvis, Beach House Real Estate 4965 Gulf of Mexico Dr #202 4985 Gulf of Mexico Dr #403

Positano

Positano

$3,875,000—01/27/2022

$3,495,000—04/09/2021

LISTING:

Reid Murphy, Developers Realty

Non-Member Agent

Shelbi Loftin, Fine Properties

SELLING: Meghan Leiter, Michael Saunders & Co

101 67th St, #1, Holmes Beach West Wind Shores

4955 Gulf of Mexico Dr #101

$3,750,000—10/07/2021

Positano

Jennifer Chatt & Gail Tutewiler,

$4,100,000—12/06/2021

Island Real Estate

LISTING & SELLING AGENT:

Don Purvis, Beach House Real Estate

Reid Murphy, Developers Realty

4985 Gulf of Mexico Dr #403, Positano

MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

61

Top 5 Sales Country Club Communities Sarasota County Listing Agents (first) and Selling Agents included

3727 Caledonia Ln—Founders Club $2,500,000—12/09/2021 Melissa Dovey, Founders Club Realty Toni Zarghami, Keller Williams Classic Group 3129 Founders Club Dr—Founders Club $2,575,000—11/15/2021 Kathy Callahan, Michael Saunders & Co Judie Berger, Premier Sotheby’s Intl Realty

8263 Archers Ct—Founders Club

669 Trenton Way—The Oaks Clubside

8263 Archers Ct—Founders Club

$2,900,000—03/21/2022 Steve Abbe, Coldwell Banker Realty Monica Verinder, Coldwell Banker Realty 144 Osprey Point Dr—The Oaks Bayside $3,000,000—01/19/2022 Rachel Benderson, Michael Saunders & Co Steve Abbe, Coldwell Banker Realty 8263 Archers Ct—Founders Club $3,500,000—07/16/2021 Kathy Callahan, Michael Saunders & Co Helen Jaquith, RE/MAX Platinum Realty

8263 Archers Ct—Founders Club

62

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

8499 Lindrick Ln—The Concession Golf Club

Top 5 Sales Country Club Communities Manatee County Listing Agents (first) and Selling Agents included

8341 Lindrick Ln—The Concession Golf Club $3,600,000—10/29/2021 Sara Boudarga & Nancie Kalin, Michael Saunders & Co Laura Stavola, Premier Sotheby’s Intl Realty 8595 Lindrick Ln—The Concession Golf Club $3,600,000—09/24/2021 Stacy Haas, Michael Saunders & Co Andree Huffine, Coldwell Banker Realty

8499 Lindrick Ln—The Concession Golf Club 8499 Lindrick Ln—The Concession Golf Club

8415 Broadstone Ct—The Concession Golf Club $3,800,000—02/28/2022 Stacy Haas, Michael Saunders & Co Victoria Campbell, EXP Realty 8439 Lindrick Ln—The Concession Golf Club $4,250,000—04/26/2021 Kim Ogilvie, Michael Saunders & Co Mark Coppens, Living Vogue 8499 Lindrick Ln—The Concession Golf Club $7,980,000—02/01/2022 Stacy Haas, Michael Saunders & Co Ryan Skrzypkowski, Coldwell Banker Realty MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

63

Office Market Share Report Ranked by Total Volume. Based on MLS data for the 12-month period March 13, 2021 to March 14, 2022

1.

COLDWELL BANKER REALTY, Sarasota

2. PREMIER SOTHEBYS INTL REALTY, Downtown Sarasota 3. MICHAEL SAUNDERS & COMPANY, Downtown Sarasota 4. KELLER WILLIAMS ON THE WATER, Bradenton 5. FINE PROPERTIES, Sarasota 6. RE/MAX ALLIANCE GROUP, Bradenton 7. COLDWELL BANKER REALTY, Longboat Key 8. BRIGHT REALTY, Sarasota 9. MICHAEL SAUNDERS & COMPANY, Siesta Key 10. COLDWELL BANKER REALTY, Lakewood Ranch

Agent Market Share Ranked by Total Volume. Based on MLS data for the 12-month period March 13, 2021 to March 14, 2022

1.

Jessica Adair, Locals Realty

2. Roger Pettingell, Coldwell Banker Realty 3. Jason Sato, Sato Real Estate 4. Amy Drake, Property Perspectives Group 5. Joel Schemmel, Schemmel Property Group, Premier Sotheby’s Int’l Realty 6. Judy Kepecz-Hays, Coldwell Banker Realty 7. Reid Murphy, Developers Realty 8. Toni Zarghami, Zarghami Group, Keller Williams Classic Group 9. Bruce Myer, Coldwell Banker Realty 10. Curt Ware, The Ware Group, Keller Williams Classic Group 64

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

WAGNER REALTY

caring for the community Did you know? Wagner Realty is one of the oldest and largest independent, locally-owned, and locally-operated real estate companies in Manatee and Sarasota Counties.

As members of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World (LRE), they have a global presence in more than 60 countries and can accommodate a full range of services to customers and their families to or from anywhere in the world.

Established in 1939, it is common knowledge that Wagner’s full-service real estate success is unprecedented, but according to Lakewood Ranch Branch Manager Diane Lee, "What people may not know is Wagner’s passionate commitment and involvement in the community's local businesses. We participate and sponsor local events and activities, and advocate for the community we call home."

Charitable Activities: • Manatee County Sheriff's Department Golf Fundraiser • Bradenton Blue Foundation • Wounded Warrior Project • University of South Florida • St. Stephen's Episcopal School • Boys & Girls Clubs • Humane Society of Manatee County

“Honestly, we are as proud of our community involvement as we are of anything else. Organizations we support include the Bradenton Blue Foundation, and the Wounded Warrior Project." When not working with an agent or handling company business, Wagner Realty owner David Eckel is sitting on the boards of many local businesses, charitable and educational organizations.

Being a local business owner, Eckel recognizes that small businesses are the heart and soul of a community, and works hard to support them. Wagner Realty promotes a culture of caring by supporting local fundraising efforts, the arts, community organizations, and education. Our company culture encourages agent involvement and volunteerism.

Visit wagnerrealty.com, or stop by their new state-of-the-art office on Main Street Lakewood Ranch, to learn more about the company’s complete service offerings and committed participation in supporting local charities.

we do more than sell real estate!

CONNECT » wagnerrealty.com • (941) 756-7800 • 8141 Lakewood Main St., Suite 106, Lakewood Ranch, FL 34202

Sustainable

LIVING

66

in action

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

Southface Sarasota at the Florida House

By Ryan G. Van Cleave More than a quarter of a century ago, Sarasota County, the School Board, and the non-profit Florida House Institute envisioned a local green demonstration house and gardens that would inspire environmental stewardship and enhance the quality of life in Sarasota with opportunities for eco-friendly exploration, design, and action. That forward-thinking commitment to sustainable living resulted in the creation of the Florida House. It wasn’t just a local resource but also the first green building in the entire country that was fully open and available to the public. Soon, the Florida House was buzzing with workshops, tours, and demonstrations for students and community members to advance an ethos of sustainable practices including energy and water conservation, recycling, and landscape design.

In 2021, the Florida House joined sustainable building nonprofit Southface Institute as the first satellite location of the Atlanta-based organization. An innovator in strengthening equity and the environment by transforming residential and commercial structures since 1978, Southface sought to expand within the Southeast. The Florida House’s similar mission, vision, and community leadership made the two non-profits a match made in sustainability heaven. The new partnership launched as Southface Sarasota at the Florida House.

“I got hired in March 2021,” says Sarasota local Amber Whittle, who serves as Executive Director of Southface Sarasota at the Florida House as well as Southface’s VP of Development, Marketing, and Communications.

“It’s a very lively place here. People are always coming and going. We regularly have students coming by fixing this or learning that, or someone’s shooting video here.

Plus, members of the community come by all the time.”

MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

67

"WE HAVE THE PERMACULTURE GARDENS. WE HAVE THE CISTERNS. WE HAVE THE PGT WINDOWS, ECOSMART SUSTAINABLE FLOORING, AND TERRY OSBORN’S FLORIDA CRACKER HOUSE DESIGN WITH PASSIVE COOLING.” —Amber Whittle

That’s been the idea from the beginning, but the biggest benefit of the Florida House is that people can discover firsthand what sustainable living can look like in the real world. “We have the permaculture gardens. We have the cisterns. We have the PGT windows, EcoSmart sustainable flooring, and Terry Osborn’s Florida cracker house design with passive cooling,” Whittle explains. “We also have solar panels and pervious pavers. We basically have everything in one place so people can come in and learn about all the different aspects of sustainability.”

Whittle points out that the Florida House continues to evolve with the latest technologies. For example, they’ve got the latest PGT windows because PGT wants people to see how they work and what they do—the Florida House is a demonstration facility for them and other vendors of sustainable products.

One of the things that hasn’t needed to be upgraded are the solar panels. “It’s basically been the same technology for the last 50 years,” Whittle says. “A lot of sustainability products are things we’ve known about for a long time, but the costs are coming down now.”

Southface Sarasota is closely following a new trend related to electric vehicles. While most people think about plugging their car in at home to charge it using solar panels or other forms of energy, the opposite can be true as well. So, if a power outage leaves your house without energy, you can plug in some new electric vehicles, like the Ford F-150, and use it to power up the house. All you need is a specific converter, and your car or truck can function as one big battery for your other power needs. Talk about flexibility!

One of the things that surprises Whittle is how slow Florida utility companies have been to incentivize energy efficiency as seriously as other states have. “Our

68

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

utility companies need to embrace solar in a way they’re currently not. In other states, companies are already using it as part of their business model. We’re still a couple of years behind them.” In California, for instance, it turned out to be extremely valuable for customers to be energy independent during the wildfire crises. Here in Florida, we’d benefit from more energy independence to get us through a hurricane, where the power could be out for a few days or a few weeks. Floridians can keep themselves and their neighbors going during emergencies with accessible, reliable energy generation options.

“It’s also a quality-of-life issue,” Whittle notes.

“People often think about it economically first, but right now, I’m sitting in my office that’s only 30 feet from Beneva Road—a busy road—and I can’t hear the cars at all. That’s because of my beautiful PGT double-pane windows. Having nice cork flooring, good foam insulation, and great air quality can improve your quality of life as much as it saves you money. Plus, having a garden just outside means that I can walk out and grab a loquat or fig whenever I want. Or I can just walk around and look at the butterflies. It’s really beautiful having a garden like that and being able to appreciate it all the time.”

The lease for the Florida House ends on July 9 of this year. However, it’s still unclear what Sarasota County intends to do with it next. Years ago, the Florida House building was relocated to make way for an expansion of the Suncoast Technical College. Will the building be moved again or repurposed? Maybe.

Regardless, Southface Sarasota is committed to keeping this green demonstration home going because it’s central to their mission of promoting sustainable homes, workplaces, and communities through education, research, advocacy, and technical assistance. The Florida House brings all that together into one package that’s been a gift to Sarasota for decades. Southface Sarasota will keep working to ensure it’ll be around for decades to come as a beacon of hope and an important sustainability resource as we define the future of our climate, environment, and community.

For more information about Southface Sarasota at the Florida House, please visit www.southface.org/ sarasota or call 941.924.2050.

MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

69

Smart is good, Eco-$mart is even better...

Introducing Super High-Performance Homes that Blow Away Conventional Homes­—Faster, Stronger, Healthier, Lower Maintenance and Lower Electric Bills

Featuring Secure-Lock Steel-Skinned Structural Insulated Panels

MART PRODUCTS PRODUCTS SMART PRODUCTS SMART SMART DELIVERY DELIVERY SMARTSMART DELIVERY SMART SUPPORT! SUPPORT! SMART SUPPORT! In business In business since 1993 In since business providing 1993 providing since patient 1993patient guidance providing guidance and patient timely and guidance timely delivery delivery and for timely responsible for delivery responsible products. for responsib products.

Our homes should make us feel secure —from hurricanes, fire, pests and mold. That’s why we use Secure-Lock steel skinned panels to build hurricane, seismic, fire, mold, pest-resistant and

Smart mart Smart isisbeautiful... is beautiful... beautiful...

energy-efficient structures for your house. Its speed, health, safety and performance are unparalleled.

FLOORING FLOORING FLOORING (CORK(CORK AND MARMOLEUM AND(CORK MARMOLEUM AND MARMOLEUM

ENERGY & WATER ENERGY HEATING & WATER HEATING SOLARSOLAR ENERGY &SOLAR WATER HEATING

WINDOWS WINDOWS & HURRICANE & HURRICANE PROTECTION PROTECTION WINDOWS & HURRICANE PROTECTION

Other Features: ealth, h, Safety Health, Safety andSafety and Efficiency Efficiency and Efficiency Home Home Improvements Home Improvements Improvements

1983, nce 1983, Eco-Smart Since Eco-Smart 1983, Inc. Eco-Smart has Inc.been has been Inc. the premier has thebeen premier source the source premier of “green” ofsource “green” products of products “green” for homeowners, products for homeowners, for homeowners, architects architects andarchitects developers. and developers. and developers.

•free Powerfully-Built Structure, Saving Months of Construction Time • Even Zero Energy Homes Available er e offer free consultations, We offer consultations, free consultations, turn-key turn-key contracting, turn-key contracting, and contracting, energy and energy efficiency andefficiency energy financing efficiency financing sourcing. financing sourcing.sourcing.

• Windows That Let Only the Good Stuff In • Metal Roofing That Looks Like Tile, Shingle or Shake.

More Energy Efficient, Longer Lasting, More Wind Resistant Than Cement Tile or Shingle Roofing Typically Half or Less Electric Cost

or re more information, For information, more call information, 941-376-8484, call 941-376-8484, call or 941-376-8484, visit or www.eco-smart.com visit www.eco-smart.com or visit www.eco-smart.com Our Whole House Package comes

• Free Solar Hot Water All-Year-Round • High Efficiency A/C with Better Humidity Control • Ideal Indoor Air Quality • Healthy and Sustainable Flooring

IJ IO JO I

Eco-$mart, Eco-$mart, Inc. Eco-$mart, isInc. a Service is a Service Inc. Disabled is Disabled a Service Veteran Veteran Disabled Owned Owned Veteran Business Business Owned

with everything you need (including our local contracting and supervision of construction) to build your eco-friendly, energy-efficient, disaster-resistant, and healthy house.

70

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

Ecologically Sound / Economically $mart Green Materials Donor to the Florida House Since 1994

Visit www.ecosmartinc.com to learn more, or call 941.376.8484 now for a free consultation Eco-$mart, Inc. is a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Business

a

Feast Ears

for the

Sarasota Orchestra’s Summer Music Festival

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

In 1965, the Sarasota Music Festival began as a one-week event that featured seven guest mentors and a handful of student musicians. Within a few years, the festival’s success necessitated that it expand into a three-week offering that soon gained national and international attention.

Today, more than 500 musicians from the top colleges and conservatories in the world apply each year to be one of the 60 fellows who get to work side-by-side with 40 guest faculty musicians who represent some of the nation’s major performing organizations, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, and Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music.

MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

71

In its nearly-60-year history, the festival, a program of Sarasota Orchestra, has known only three music directors, with co-founder Paul Wolfe first serving in that role until 2006.

Pianist Robin D. Levin headed the festival for the next decade. Then Jeffrey Kahane became music director in 2017.

Kahane is a California-based conductor and soloist who made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1983.

These days, Kahane still performs regularly while serving as the Professor of Keyboard Studies at USC’s Thornton School of Music. Among his other accomplishments, Kahane served for two decades as the Music Director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.

Kahane had known about Sarasota Orchestra for a very long time, having performed with it as a soloist “many years ago,” he says, “though at the time, it was then called the Florida West Coast Symphony!” Years later, when Levin was overseeing the event, he called Kahane to invite him to fill in for a last-minute faculty cancellation.

It went so well that Levin soon asked Kahane to apply to succeed him as Music Director. After an international search and subsequent interviews, Kahane earned the job.

“It’s such a thrilling and wonderful experience.

This year, in the space of three weeks, we’re doing 14 programs, which means we’re averaging four different programs a week,” he says. Yet he’s quick to note that the festival is designed for teaching. That means he and his 40 guest faculty colleagues mentor the fellows through a busy schedule of concerts, master classes, coaching sessions, and open rehearsals.

“There’s a tremendous sense of excitement about working with such a remarkable group of young musicians each year, who are usually in the range of age 18 to late 20s. Some are still in school, some will have just graduated, and occasionally, some will have just earned jobs.”

Each week of the festival, a different group of faculty rotates in, so the fellows get intense exposure to that group. For audiences, this means the events are widely varied and always fresh. For 72

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

Jeffrey Kahane

“There’s a tremendous sense of excitement about working with such a remarkable group of young musicians each year." the fellows, it means that the opportunities for learning and growing are exponentially greater.

“As Music Director,” Kahane explains, “I have the privilege of selecting most of the music that gets played, and I do that in consultation with my colleagues. Here’s yet another particularly wonderful and unusual thing about the festival— the fellows themselves get input on what they get to play. Before the festival starts, they’re asked to send in a list of things they’d especially like to play, and that gets serious consideration.”

Each week, there’s a faculty-only concert, as well as a fellows-only concert. But there are also two concerts each week where they all play together.

“That’s one of the most thrilling things for the audience. It’s always a great, wonderful thing to witness the sort of spark and magic that happens when young musicians at the beginning of their career get to work with those have accomplished so much professionally.”

Something that makes the 2022 season particularly special for Kahane is that one of the musical guests shares his last name—it’s his son, Gabriel, who’s an accomplished singer, musician, and composer. While they’ve worked together before, it’s rare because they don’t live in the same city, so Kahane is incredibly excited about this opportunity. “He’ll be working with Caroline Shaw, a composer who won the Pulitzer Prize several years ago. They’re good friends and have performed together many times. They’ll be playing their own original music together, and then they will also perform with a group of the fellows, too.”

MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

73

Highlights of this year’s Sarasota Music Festival— which runs June 5-25—include Kahane and Levin giving a joint lecture on festival topics, and acclaimed pianist Ya-Fei Chuang, a festival alumna, serving as soloist for Chopin’s Piano Concerto in F Minor in the first festival Saturday performance.

The festival ends delightfully, too, with a program entitled “From America to Italy.” During that program, festival alumna and faculty violinist Francesca Anderegg performs Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 before the entire event concludes with Felix Mendelssohn’s beloved Symphony No.

74

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

4, which is a high-spirited tribute to Italy’s sunshine and luxurious breezes.

Kahane adds that “I’ve been so touched by the passion that I feel with Sarasota audiences. There’s obviously a great love of the arts there. For a city of its size, the richness of its cultural offerings is impressive. I’m so glad to be a continuing part of it.”

For more information about Sarasota Orchestra’s Summer Music Festival, please visit www.sarasotaorchestra.org/ festival or call the Box Office at 941.953.3434.

o n t h e t ow n

FRESH LOCAL CAUGHT SEAFOODS

RELAXED ISLAND DINING

Portugese & Italian Cuisine

ISLAND BITES & CRAFT BEER

Our New Location — “A Little Gem” “We are pleased to bring to Sarasota our expanded menu featuring Portuguese cuisine from our home country. Please come and enjoy. We still have your Italian favorites!” —Tito & Liana Live Entertainment •Outdoor Dining • Open for Dinner Tues – Sun 5 – 9PM

Ask us about our Dinner for Two Special!

Join us for Savor Sarasota, June–December 18th spearfishgrille.com • (941) 349-1971 1265 Old Stickney Point Rd FOLLOW US:

spearfishgrille

@spearfish_grille

BE SEEN IN SCENE Reach Sarasota Scene Magazine’s affluent audience in both print and digital!

Contact Paul McNamara Call or text (917) 751-6506 or email Paul@scenesarasota.com scenesarasota.com

Visit www.AmoreLBK.com or call 941-383-1111 to reserve your table or special event today!

180 N. Lime Ave, Sarasota • Free Parking for 150 Guests!

Quick Lunch Specials

Seafood Thai Curry Pad Thai Sexy Man Roll Lobster Roll Lunch & Sun-Thurs 11-10 • Fri & Sat 11- Midnight Dinner Dine In • Take Out • Delivery • Catering

941.955.8404 • 1572 Main St., Sarasota www.DrunkenPoetCafeSRQ.com

MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

75

Access for

Everyone at Manatee Performing Arts Center

Y

By Lisa Codianna Fowler

oung children, high school students, parents, seniors, and thespians who may be physically challenged find education, gain experience, and build confidence at the Manatee Performing Arts Center (MPAC). The team at the Center strives to make its performances and facilities accessible to everyone. Accessibility is a priority, whether you are a student, actor, designer, technician, volunteer, or member of the audience.

76

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

MPAC’s SPECIAL FACILITY AMENITIES: UNDERSTANDING ACCESS At the helm of MPAC, CEO Janene M. Amick aims to ensure every member of our community feels like their space at MPAC is a space for them. “Even for our volunteers who might not see as well as they want to and still want to help us with data entry or selling tickets, we made sure that everybody has extra-large monitors, even though it may sound like a simple thing,” she explains.

Dan Yonko, Director of Communications is working on a pervasive campaign to help people understand the significance of access. He emphasizes, “One of the things that I was so impressed about when I came on board is the organization's commitment to making our programs and facilities accessible to anyone regardless of their ability level. For example, our theatre is one of the very few in the entire state that has handicap accessible catwalks.”

Yonko and Amick mention that shows such as The Titanic–The Musical exemplify the exciting opportunities for people of all ages and levels of ability. For instance, Amick explains that a member of the cast has vision challenges, “yet is fully participating as a feature character in the show, not an extra.” The Titanic is also an example of cast and production members coming up through the ranks through their education at MPAC and gaining the self-assurance to participate in community theatre.

• Several types of state-of-the-art assisted listening devices • Booster seats as requested • Braille and large-print programs for most productions • Curbside drop-off under the port-cochere • Elevator to access the ballroom, skybox, and administrative offices • Adult and child-size noise reduction ear protection • Wheelchair accessible restrooms on both floors • Wheelchairs, scooters, and bariatric chairs supporting up to 800 pounds • Wheelchair-designed timed entrance doors • Service animals on a leash or in a harness are permitted

The award-winning show opened on MPAC on April 28 th and is running through May 15 th. With music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and a book by Peter Stone, the pair have collectively won an Academy Award, an Emmy Award, an Olivier Award and three Tony awards. The original Broadway production of Titanic–The Musical won five Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book.

ALL TOGETHER NOW MPAC offers a series of programs for people of all ages from 7 to 99. Youth Education consists of training in singing, dancing, acting and technical design for ages 7-17. The programs include learning how to audition, rehearsals, and a minimum of two full-staged performances.

MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

77

There are summer programs where students participate for two weeks, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. According to Amick, the kids work together as a team to start putting the show together beginning on the first day.

Yonko’s 11-year-old daughter started studying at MPAC when she was nine. She participates in the Saturday programing, took advantage of being on stage in the summer program last year, and is looking forward to the programming this year as well.

“I’m proud of her in so many ways,” he says, “but she's really blossomed being on stage and I think there's a lot of carry over to how well she conducts herself in school, and her socialization skills. She was very painfully shy.

Theater has given her immense confidence and belief in herself.” For his older daughter, performing is outside of her comfort zone, but she “is very interested in the technical side of creating costumes, so the entire family can participate.”

For seniors, there is a theatre troupe that meets every Wednesday at 11 a.m. “Here, truly, are ambassadors learning the art of improv so that they don't get caught up with worrying about the stress of memorizing lines.”

Amick says. “So, learning the art of improv, we can put them in any situation, and they can entertain a crowd.”

UPCOMING CAMPUS OPEN HOUSE One of the best ways to appreciate the magic that happens here is to attend the upcoming campus open house 78

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

where you can take a guided tour of the entire building, including behind the scenes. Held this year during the second week of June from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. you can learn how to get involved from volunteering in the costume shop, becoming a carpenter or a painter working on set, or work in the Communications Department, helping to boost social media.

Amick explains one of the many benefits of attending the open house, “It gives young people who are looking for opportunities to maybe stretch themselves into a new field. They might want to be behind stage or be behind the desk learning the business side of the operation.”

THE VISION Amick highlights her plans for their immediate future.

“I look forward to doing two or three outdoor events in the parking lot across the street where people can come and either see live entertainment or see a film.

We’ll do at least three unique events where we can gather the community together, supporting the arts.

This will give them an opportunity just to come in, enjoy a cup of coffee and a cookie, and learn where they may come to see great entertainment from musical theaters to dramas to tribute concerts, local dance recitals, and annual reviews. Outreach for us is reaching out into the community to bring people in.”

Yonko participated in a job fair through Southeast High School, with more in store now that COVID-19 has diminished. “We are all about partnerships and being active participants in the community,” he says.

"Outreach for us is reaching out into the community to bring people in.”

—Janene Amick The job fairs demonstrate to students that there are opportunities for them to join MPAC as volunteers or participate on mainstage.

Amick adds, “We’re super excited that we are really focused on getting back up and running to full capacity.

And that means not just the shows, but also our programming and providing opportunities for people not only to come in, but for us to go out into the community and do things right.”

A LONG-LIVED HISTORY Since its meager beginnings in 1947, the Center has expanded exponentially from a fledging troupe periodically performing at modest venues to a yearround professionally staffed corporation of seven full-time employees, three part-time, and more than

70 contracted directors, musicians, and designers. Now housed in an award-winning state of the art facility, it offers a full season of productions, events, concerts, comedy and more.

To learn more about the opportunities, performances, and events at MPAC, visit manateeperformingartscenter.com.

MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

79

• spotlight •

Building A life

& SUPPORTING A LEGACY Home Builder CEO David C. Hunihan

BY CAROL BRZOZOWSKI David C. Hunihan, CEO of Lee Wetherington Homes, took time to speak with Sarasota Scene about that which makes his life and career fulfilling, his extensive volunteer efforts and why he loves living and working in the greater Sarasota region.

Tell us about yourself.

I am very blessed. I’ve been married to a wonderful woman—Lauren Hunihan, a Keller Williams Realtor—for 28 years this June. We have three amazing daughters.

Samantha, 23, is married; Shannon, 26, is getting married this November, and Ainsley, 18, is a sophomore at Bayside College in Lakewood Ranch. We have lived in River Club for more than 20 years. I have been in the real estate business in the Bradenton/Sarasota/Venice/ North Port area for more than 30 years. I am a licensed Florida Residential Contractor and Florida Real Estate Broker.

We are active in the local church and several ministries. I am on the Manatee/Sarasota Building Industry Association board of directors as a life director and past president, 80

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

the board of Rough Cut Men, a worldwide ministry to men, and the board of City Commit, a Sarasota and Bradenton initiative to transform our community through greater men, marriages and leaders. I like to read, hike the mountains, watch movies, go to the beach, run, exercise, and participate in obstacle course races. Most of all, I enjoy family time.

You earned a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing from Boston College. What led you to pursue a real estate career?

In eighth grade, I took a mechanical drawing class. I loved it and decided I wanted to be an architect. My father noticed I had a natural bent towards marketing and sales, suggesting I pursue a career in that direction, thus leading me to my degree. I didn’t realize a marketing degree usually meant a sales career, but I enjoyed it and was good at it. I sold everything from knives to Yellow Page advertising to jewelry, and eventually, I moved to Florida from New Jersey and started selling real estate.

Although I didn’t become an architect, I still found my

• insider •

way into design and building by selling new homes. I fell in love with home building and have been doing it ever since.

Why did you choose Sarasota to live and work?

I moved here in 1991 for an opportunity with a brokerage firm that did property management and general real estate sales. That didn’t work out. While taking scuba diving lessons, I met my instructor, a builder, who invited me to work for him until I figured out what I wanted to do. Lee Wetherington moved here in the 1970s from Jacksonville because he used to vacation here and loved the area. He was a drywall contractor at the time and thought he would be a good home builder. He started a business building homes in this area ever since. I joined Lee in 1995 as an onsite sales person, working my way to president in 1999. I left in 2000 to start my own company, but didn’t make it through the Great Recession, closing the doors at the end of 2008. Lee convinced me to come back as CEO in May 2021.

Most people come here for the weather and lifestyle; it’s truly hard to beat. We are close to the beach, have worldclass water sports, museums, art, culture, restaurants, a booming economy and great people from throughout the world. It is hard to imagine living anywhere else for me now.

What are some of your notable achievements?

I am proud our company has weathered many storms over the past several decades. We have seen multiple real estate cycles, 9/11, the Great Recession and now the COVID pandemic. We’ve been able to consistently deliver the highest quality homes and best customer experience possible. We have won dozens of local, regional and national awards, but I am most proud of the homes we build.

My marriage and our three daughters are my most notable achievements, although most of that credit should go to my wife. We raised three outstanding human beings who have achieved amazing things at their young ages MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

81

• insider •

“THERE WILL BE CHANGES COMING TO OUR INDUSTRY IN THE FORM OF DESIGN AND LIVABILITY, WITH UPDATED ARCHITECTURAL STYLES AND ALSO IN HOW WE LIVE IN OUR HOMES, THE LATTER BEING A RESULT OF THE LAST TWO YEARS OF HOME ISOLATION.”

already and will accomplish much in their lives. I achieved the impossible feat of getting my wife to move from New York to Florida, something she said she would never do.

Tell us about your extensive volunteer experience.

I try to live my life based upon biblical principles.

It is easy for me to give back to others and the community since I have been given and been blessed with so much. My passion is mentoring, helping people to become all they were created to be. If they are strong and live with integrity, their families will be strong, their communities will be healthy, and their country will thrive. That is part of what Rough Cut Men and City Commit do. I also participate in several Bible study and prayer groups through church. We pray for and support each other and pray for our country and local, state and federal leaders. We see a need and try to fill it without pomp and circumstance.

Lee Wetherington Homes also has a long tradition of giving back to the community through a variety of charities. We have supported the Boys & Girls Clubs, donating funds, sponsoring kids, and building buildings. We are blessed to be a part of this community and honored to be able to give back some of all we have been blessed with.

The real estate industry is going through some changes and Florida is viewed as a “hot spot”, which pleases some people and leaves others frustrated. What is your take?

In more than 30 years in this business, I have never seen the demand, supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, material and labor cost increases, 82

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

and housing shortages we are currently seeing.

There doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. If the economy holds, I believe demand will hold as well—at least for the next decade or so, based upon demographics. You can’t time the market.

If you want or need a home, today is the only day you know current pricing, availability, and interest rates. Tomorrow, everything may change. It seems to be getting worse. Our company is focused on our systems and processes to maintain consistency in our product and to deliver the best possible customer experience—that is getting lost now in the craziness and desperation.

Where do you see yourself five years from now?

Five years from now, Lord willing, we will have a stabilized market as things slow down a little before the next boom. We will be preparing the company to survive the original founders and continue the legacy Lee Wetherington created almost 50 years prior. We will be building in as many as three or four master planned communities as one of the few custom home builders that can build more than 24 homes per year. We are currently streamlining and updating our systems and processes so the team that comes after us will be able to perpetuate and expand what Lee started. There will be changes coming to our industry in the form of design and livability, with updated architectural styles and also in how we live in our homes, the latter being a result of the last two years of home isolation. Our industry hasn’t changed significantly in decades and we are ripe for disruption—think Blockbuster video and Netflix. These are exciting times, and I expect the next decade to be just as exciting and challenging.

at h o m e

INSTANT GRATIFICATION SarasotaLandscaping.com CUS TO M L A ND S C A PE D E S I GN SarasotaLandscaping.com

RESORT STYLE LANDSCAPING

Proudly Landscaping the Sarasota Area for 18 years Landscape Design & Installation • Complete Landscape Renovations Cleanups • Privacy Solutions • Brick Pavers & Travertine

Family Owned Since 1986 25 Year Workmanship Warranty 241 Interstate Court Sarasota, FL 34240 Florida State License CCC1325654

C U S T O•M L A N D Lighting S C A P E• Drainage D E S I G Work N Walkways • Patios • Driveways Landscape Landscape Design and Installation Complete Landscape Renovations Cleanups | Privacy Solutions Brick Pavers and Travertine Walkways | Patios | Driveways Landscape Lighting | Drainage Work

FREE ESTIMATES 941.893.7767

Landscaping Sarasota for Call 941.893.7767 now for a FREE estimate

18 YEARS

or visit SarasotaLandscaping.com

Please our Showcase more before & & after pictures: tovisit view ourforbefore after showcase.

SarasotaLandscaping.com

Storewide Sale! �� Sexy by Day,

WE BRIGHTEN YOUR DAY!

74

Reclinable by Night

es.

EMERGENCY SERVICE CALLS SERVICES WE OFFER: Electrical Panel Replacement and Upgrade Indoor Lighting • Outdoor Lighting Marina Services • Boat Lift Installation and Repair

CALL (941) 926-7278 OR VISIT PAPUPOWER.COM TO SCHEDULE A SERVICE TODAY!

STOP IN TO OUR SHOWROOM TODAY FOR QUALITY LEATHER FURNITURE!

(941) 993-1057 • www.leathergallerysarasota.com 5251 S Tamiami Trail • Sarasota, FL 34231

In 1989 I purchased “Eco-Conscious Dry Cleaning”

Carlson Cleaners.

At 23 years old I worked

tirelessly as any young

ENTREPRENEUR

would do to grow their business.

I have learned the ins & outs

of running a smooth operation.

I think you will see this in our

QUALITY & SERVICE. Sincerely,

Don Carlson Sr. 3115 Southgate Circle Sarasota, Fl. 34239

(941) 275-4647

5193 Clark Road Sarasota, Fl. 34233

ECH

All Doors 20% OFF

ii plastpro

84

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

®SIMONTON

�StormBrealier Plus•

PLUS

FREE

Super Solar High Performance Glass Not valid with any other offer Offer Expires 5-31-2022

2022

SARASOTA FILM FESTIVAL WRAP-UP

BY GUS MOLLASIS I’ve attended every one of the 24 Sarasota Film Festivals through the years as either a fan, a filmmaker, or a journalist covering the event. And every time, it’s like visiting an old friend.

I’ve always felt a special connection to this festival.

Perhaps it’s because of my love for cinema, but I think it runs deeper than that. In a town that celebrates the arts, I believe that the Sarasota Film Festival is one of the many reasons why Sarasota is truly an A-lister community.

Over the years I’ve seen this film festival grow, shine, struggle, pivot, survive, thrive— but always live to fight another day and provide yet another year of great films and wonderful events.

Every year, the Film Festival creates a fabulous array of scenes and experiences. This year, even among the extra precautions, was no different. After the last two years being particularly hard through the horror story that is COVID-19, SFF took a big step closer to being the event that it previously was, the event that I have come to love and look forward to every year. A place to connect with friends, watch wonderful films on the big screen, join in on

riveting conversations with their filmmakers, and to mingle with familiar actors and movie stars.

In fact, I got the chance to sit down with Jacqueline Bisset for a warm, friendly, and memorable interview. We talked of John Huston and George Cukor. Of Steve McQueen, Frank Sinatra, and of course, Anthony Quinn. She seemed pleased that I found her Jackie believable opposite Quinn’s portrayal of Onassis in the 1978 hit The Greek Tycoon. “He was Onassis. When I saw him the first time, he was Ari and I knew I had to up my game and be Jackie,” she told me enthusiastically.

When I thanked her on behalf of me and my boyhood pals for her performance in The Deep, she flashed a knowing smile.

Yes, I missed the Sarasota Film Festival, and am thankful to have it back to quasi-normal. Seeing films on the big screen with real people sitting next to me sans mask was simply refreshing.

With this all said, I am also grateful to give out my annual Gussie Awards to a handful of the films that moved me.

Drum roll please!

MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

85

PLAYING THROUGH Playing Through was a film that shined light on the remarkable life and golf career of Ann Gregory, who became the first woman of color to enter the USGA Women’s Amateur. A film made in Sarasota with a committed community effort, I award Playing Through a much deserved Gussie for telling a story worth telling, and commend the community who helped put it on the big screen.

THE FABULOUS OHS: THE MARRIAGE AND THE MUSIC Local talent Kathryn Parks tells the personal story of her parents, a small-town composer and a strong-willed singer/librettist, as they spent their lives chasing their musical journey together. I award a Gussie to Kathryn for celebrating her mom and dad and bringing their touching story to the screen.

PORCUPINE As opening night films go, Porcupine had heart, laughs, and pathos.

More than that, it made you think. For all of this, it was one of the best opening night films in the history of the Sarasota Film Festival. Jena Malone gives a powerful and poignant portrayal which has never been better. Malone plays Audrey, a young woman estranged from her family who is seeking life’s answers. She happens on a YouTube clip about the concept of adult adoption and decides to give it a try. Malone will steal your heart in this moving and poetic film experience brilliantly written and directed by Michael Cahill.

MONTANA STORY This was, I’d say, the best film I saw at the Sarasota Film Festival this year. A huge canvas is painted brilliantly by acclaimed writer/directors Scott McGehee and David Siegel. The story covers two estranged siblings, Haley Lu Richardson and Owen Teague, returning home to a land that they loved in order to be by their dying father’s bedside. It is here that they confront each other and their past. Montana Story is an often painful story set on a beautiful backdrop, with two outstanding performances by the young stars. Because of this, it is a well-worthy Gussie Award winner, and a must-watch.

86

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

LISTENING TO KENNY G Okay, I listen to Kenny G. And I like him. You got a problem with that?

This refreshing and original documentary examines why so many people hate Kenny G, and why even more people love his music. Director Penny Lane makes all the right choices, showing all sides of the record of this multi-million-selling artist. In the end, however, it is Kenny G’s selfdeprecating personality that wins the day. Even the harshest Kenny critics won’t be able to resist the charm and charisma that plays in the veins of this smooth jazz player. I surely couldn’t resist—and that’s why Listening To Kenny G earned a much-deserved Gussie Award.

LITTLE SATCHMO Louie Armstrong moved the world with his unique musical talent.

Once one heard his iconic horn and voice, it was never forgotten.

In Little Satchmo, what we hear is a different voice. The voice of a father talking to his one and only child, Sharon Preston-Folta. In this riveting documentary, we hear “Satchmo” interact with Sarasotalocal Preston-Folta in a story about a father and daughter. Little Satchmo reveals their secret and loving relationship in a film that will make you see the jazz legend in a new light. A beautiful film worthy of a Gussie Award.

THE AUTOMAT I love films about food and restaurants—and I love Mel Brooks. Well, The Automat has both. Mel Brooks helps tell the story of Horn and Hardart’s meteoric rise to becoming one of America’s most unique restaurants—and sadly, of the closing of its final store. The story centers on the vending machine popularized in the 20th century that offered fresh cooked meals in a commissary-style eatery. In this nostalgic, Gussie Award-winning film, Brooks lovingly remembers putting a nickel in the slot and choosing the goodies behind the glass. Apple Pie. Lemon Meringue. There were no bad choices at The Automat.

LONG ISLAND GUS When you have a riveting story about a guy named Gus who will do just about anything to help his ailing buddy get a kidney, but mysteriously disappears in the process, then there is a good chance that it will hook this guy named Gus (yours truly). I’m a sucker for documentaries with a little quirk and a lot of a heart, and Long Island Gus definitely falls under that category.

And that’s a wrap! The 24th Sarasota Film Festival is history.

MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

87

• insider •

educationmatters

FST Summer Camp

FST’S COMMITMENT TO KIDS: THE CHILDREN’S THEATRE

By Ryan G. Van Cleave While our area is rich with live theatre options, Florida Studio Theatre (FST) has been here since 1973 and has grown with the community. This contemporary theatre has expanded to become the largest subscription theatre in the state and among the largest in the entire country, serving over a quarter of a million people through its various programs and offerings each year. Physically, too, it’s hard to miss because FST now consists of five distinct theatre spaces that take up almost two downtown blocks.

Associate Director At-Large, Kate Alexander, has spent most of her professional career with FST. “I’ve been here since we were in a hut,” she says with a laugh. “The education program, which I founded within my first five years here, has been integral to the theatre’s mission from the beginning. And, to quote Zelda Fichandler [a pioneer in the Regional Theatre Movement in the 1950s], ‘A theatre isn’t worth its salt unless it has a mission.’ And part of that mission was that you weren’t just there to produce or present theatre, but you had an education mission that went deep into the community. That was there from the inception of FST since Richard Hopkins took over as Artistic Director in 1980.”

When she worked with Hopkins to create the educational programming, they decided it had to be similar to what adult acting programs offer because the principles were the same. “If you’re going to play Juliet, you have to remember what it’s like to be in love when you were just 88

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

FST School CPAC

FST Summer Camp

a teen and had that overdriving passion,” she explains.

“So, for children, you’re given a monologue from Shel Silverstein or Judith Viorst, and they’re going to be child appropriate. And you’re going to imagine—what was it like when my best friend moved away? What was it like when my mom was late, and I was afraid she wasn’t going to come to school? What was it like when my grandpa died? It’s the same training. It’s using your memories and then having the courage to cross that threshold and show emotion.” Fundamentally, it’s a safe, effective version of the same training Alexander experienced in New York when she studied at the American Center for Stanislavski Theatre Arts.

FST Summer Camp

FST Summer Camp

These days, one of the ways that FST makes good on their commitment to education is through its Children’s Theatre program which is more than just a performance where kids sit and watch. Preshow activities and post-show Q&As with cast members ensure that kids understand and engage with the experience. To accommodate the widest range of young audience members, FST keeps ticket prices low.

For those who want to go beyond being an audience member, there’s the Florida Studio Theatre School, which offers year-round classes for students of all ages and experience levels. It’s more than just acting training, too—they also learn music, dance, improvisation, and theatre writing.

Alexander points out that there’s a large difference between dress up and acting. While it’s important to put on your Superman cape and run around the house, it’s just as valuable to participate in a school pageant. “All of MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

89

• insider •

FST School

“YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE COURAGE TO CREATE AND SHOW WHO YOU ARE AS A HUMAN BEING. IT REVEALS THE ABILITY OF YOUR FIVE SENSES AND YOUR HEART.”

FST School

90

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

those experiences are important to child development,” she says. “But fear is the same for an adult or for a child, and with acting, you’re crossing a threshold, and that threshold is the stage. You have to have the courage to create and show who you are as a human being. It reveals the ability of your five senses and your heart.”

Unsurprisingly, the interest in theatre didn’t wane even when COVID was raging. “The children were so grateful to be able to come to the theatre. Even when we had them stand six feet apart with a mask, and they couldn’t touch each other. Parents brought them because the children needed a way to express what they were feeling,” Alexander explains. “Theatre is not about being fed by film or television. It’s about engagement. That’s what acting is.”

FST’s no-cost VIP Performing Arts Program—which is for students with physical, mental, emotional, or behavioral challenges—continued throughout the pandemic as well. Because of the logistics of gathering this population, they moved fully online where they recreated the same safe, supportive space for these students to express themselves, gain confidence, and develop social skills through the art of theatre. “Each week,” Alexander reports, “those amazing students put on their FST T-shirts and showed up on camera.”

They needed it. More than ever, they wanted to be part of something.

CPAC

CPAC

During the year, FST runs classes in 8-week sessions, while over the summer, they run full-day, multi-week sessions starting May 30th. No matter the level of expertise or skill, the offerings are designed to meet students exactly where they are to nurture individual creativity. These summer sessions culminate in a final showcase, where each student gets the chance to perform a specially chosen monologue, a meaningful song, or a scene with a partner. The students rise to the occasion, too, in ways that are impressive.

One of Alexander’s favorite stories is how one boy in their program was “simply the shyest kid” for more than two years. He brought a puppet with him, and most days, he sat by the wall and let the puppet handle most of the talking. “Yet he just blossomed in the program, and he later ended up attending Julliard to study acting.” While most students don’t end up going this route, the skills they learn at FST prove invaluable in whatever futures they imagine for themselves.

While Alexander loves working with young actors, she has a range of teaching colleagues who all use the same building blocks and methods of training. “The older person brings the wisdom and the knowledge,” she says, “while the young person brings a great deal of enthusiasm, joy, and relatability. Children love to express emotion. They’re simply waiting for an opportunity to show it. FST gives it to them.”

F OR MORE I NF ORMATI ON

about Florida Studio Theatre or its Children’s Theatre programs, please visit www.floridastudiotheatre.org or call 941.366.9000.

Help make higher education possible.

Cassandra Holmes 941-752-5390 HolmesC@SCF.edu SCF-Foundation.org MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

91

bestseats

• a r t s + c ult ur e •

MAY 2022 |

PERFORMING ARTS CALENDAR

artist series concerts of sarasota 941.306.1200/ artistseriesconcerts.org Lin Ye, Piano May 4 Vieness Piano Duo May 8 2 Hot 2 Tango May 22

asolo repertory theatre 941.351.8000/asolorep.org Knoxville Through May 11 Eureka Day May 11 - June 4

florida studio theatre 941.366.9000/ floridastudiotheatre.org The Grandma That Eats Everything Through May 8 Laughing Matters Through June 19

92

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

lemon bay playhouse 941.475.6756/lemonbayplayhouse.com The Psychic Through May 15

manatee performing arts center 941.749.1111/ manateeperformingartscenter.com Murder at the Juice Joint May 3 Broadway Memories: Spring Kids Camp Show May 14 Titanic: The Musical Through May 15

mccurdy’s comedy theatre 941.925.3869/mccurdyscomedy.com Humor Institute Class Performance May 3 Hard Heart Burlesque May 8 Matt Holt May 11-15 The World Series of Comedy May 18-21

Beneva Fruitville’s Drag Queen Bingo May 22 Bermuda Mavericks May 25-26 Jessica Kirson May 27-29

the sarasota ballet 941.359.0099/sarasotaballet.org Images of Dance May 3

sarasota contemporary dance company 941.260.8485/ sarasotacontemporarydance.org In-Studio Performance Series Featuring Marsi Burns May 5-6 In-Studio Performance Series Featuring SCDE Spring Showcase May 13-14

sarasota opera 941.328.1300/sarasotaopera.org Sleeping Beauty May 21

• a r t s + c ult ur e •

Eco-Friendly Source for a Sustainable Home.

sarasota orchestra

venice theatre

941.953.4252/ sarasotaorchestra.org Outdoor Pops: Iconic Songs of the ‘70s May 6-7 Genius of Youth: Discover Mozart May 14

941.488.1115/venicetheatre.org A Tribute to Barbra May 1-2 Pinky’s Players Present: Great Stories Well Played on a Bench May 4-5 Hamlet May 13-29 The Wind in the Willows May 20-29

van wezel performing arts hall 941.953.3368/vanwezel.org Boz Scaggs: Out of the Blues Tour 2022 May 4 One Night of Queen Starring Gary Mullen and the Works May 7 Noche Unidos May 20

venice institute for performing arts 941.218.3779/ veniceperformingartscenter.com The Rocket Man Show Starring Rus Anderson May 14

When You Want Something Unique,

Think SAS!

westcoast black theatre troupe 941.366.1505/ westcoastblacktheatre.org From Birmingham to Broadway May 4-29 Float Like a Butterfly May 4-29

VI SI T SCEN ES A R A S O TA . C O M to subm it yo u r event fo r co n si d e rat io n , p l ea s e s en d i nfo r m at io n to e d i to r@ s cen es a ra s ot a .co m

SarasotaSalvage.com 941.955.6699 Mention Sarasota Scene, Get a Special Gift MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

93

MAY 2022 |

State of the Arts

Chasen Galleries

MARA Studio—THROUGH THE LENS

Art Uptown—Diane Boone

artscene

Dabbert Gallery—Candace Knapp

• a r t s + c ult ur e •

VISUAL ARTS CALENDAR

530 burns

art center sarasota

chasen galleries

941.951.0620 / 530burnsgallery.com Swift Lullabies: Arleen Joseph, Matt Levinson, & Teresa McCue May 6

941.365.2032 / artsarasota.org Sarasota County Schools Exhibition May 9 – 21

941.260.5787 / chasengalleries.com Richmond: “Unfinished Business” Featuring Sandhi Schimmel Gold Through May 14

alfstad & contemporary

440.227.4592 / artavenueflorida.com International Art: Dali, Picasso, Turovsky Current Local Artists: Vicki Chelf, Richard Moravits, Elin Li Current

941.316.0808 / artovation.com Tribute to Andrés Valerio Through September 6 Ana Albertina Delgado: The Human Mysteries and the Indifference of the Universe Through September 6 Alexander Solotzew: Life in Colors Through September 6 The Rainer Hildebrandt Collection: Original Painted Slabs from the Berlin Wall Through September 6

artcenter manatee

art uptown

941.746.2862 / artcentermanatee.org Southern Watercolor Society 45th Annual Exhibit Through May 13

941.955.5409 / artuptown.com Different Strokes Through May 27

941.366.6400 / alfstadand.com Unfixed by Laine Nixon Opening May 24

art avenue

94

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

art ovation

dabbert gallery 941.955.1315 / dabbertgallery.com Expressions of Spring May 6 – 30

gallery on 5th 941.330.8091 / susancronkart.com Abstract/Figurative Art— Susan Cronk Current

island gallery west 941.778.6648 / islandgallerywest.com Janet Flickinger Through May 31

• a r t s + c ult ur e •

State of the Arts—Nancy Guth

Island Gallery West—Janet Flickinger

Meg Krakowiak­—Emerald Walks

mara studio gallery 941.914.8110 / marastudiogallery.com “black+white” Monochrome Expression by 9 Artists May 1–31 THROUGH THE LENS…perspectives Opening May 7

meg krakowiak gallery & studio 941.400.2478 / megkrakowiakstudios.com “New Horizons”

May 1- 31

ringling museum 941.359.5700 / ringling.org Art from Within: Selections from The Ringling Staff Through May 2 As long as there is sun, as long as there is light.

Through August 13 Eleanor Merritt: Remembrance Through August 21

Art Ovation—Alexander Solotzew Metadata: Rethinking Photography from the 21st Century Through August 28 Ballroom Florida: Deco & Desire in Japan’s Jazz Age Through September 25 The Marvelous Marbling of Matsui Kosei Through September 25

sarasota art museum sarasotaartmuseum.org Danner Washburn: Effigy Hemric Through May 8 Felix Gonzalez – Torres Through May 15

the southern atelier 941.753.7755 / southernatelier.org See Website for Classes & Studios

spaaces 941.374.3492 / spaaces.art Ah Who Run Dis

by Krystle Lemonias Opening May 20

ArtCenter Manatee—Frank Spino

stakenborg/greenberg fine art 941.487.8001 / stakenborgfineart.com “Go Figure” Figurative Art Through May 31

state of the arts gallery 941.955.2787 / sarasotafineart.com Life is a Beach Summer 2022

wyland gallery 941.388.5331 / wylandgalleriesofthefloridakeys.com Clarita Brinkerhoff May 13 – 15 Michael Cheval May 27 – 30

T O S U B M IT YO U R EV EN T / EX HI BI TI O N F O R C O N S ID ER AT IO N , please send information to editor@scenesarasota.com

MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

95

• a r t s + c ult ur e •

• a r t s + c ult ur e •

meet the artist

VICKI CHELF Vicki Chelf, raised in Louisville, Kentucky, spent her 20’s in Val-David, Quebec, a village of artisans and hippies. There, she wrote what she believes is the first vegetarian cookbook published in French, which provided her the means to attend Ringling College of Art and Design for a degree in Fine Art. Following graduation, Chelf released further cookbooks which allowed her to pursue her passion of fine art painting, including studying classical drawing with Charlie Miano at the Southern Atelier Chelf has accomplished much in her career, including several oneperson shows in the US, Canada, and France at notable galleries. In addition, Chelf has worked for The Ringling Bros. Circus as a foam carver and scenic painter, as well as a foundry assistant casting Duane Hanson’s sculptures. Chelf’s current series, represented by Art Avenue (1440 Main Street, Sarasota), highlights women who were important to the French Resistance during WWII. The pieces are all 36”x48” oil paintings over collaged vintage French newspapers from 1935.

Says Chelf, “Finding a trove of beautifully illustrated vintage newspapers in the basement of a friend’s home in central France was like discovering a creative goldmine. I knew they would somehow be used in my art, but I didn’t know how until I visited a Museum of the Resistance in the small town where they were found. Within 3 minutes of entering the museum I was sobbing. The museum was founded and run by a local woman whose mother had been a resistance fighter. I soon realized how important women were to defeating fascism and I wanted to pay homage to these brave and beautiful women. The series will continue with portraits of strong and rebellious women that correspond to the different years of the newspapers in this collection.”

More of Chelf’s work can be found at her website, www.vrchelf.com.

9966

SARASOTA SARASOTA SCENE SCENE || MAY MAY 2022 2022

• a r t s + c ult ur e •

LITERARYScene

By Ryan G. Van Cleave THE POWER OF TWO: LOCAL WRITERS PARTNER ON WRITING SCI-FI, FANTASY, & HORROR FOR DUMMIES

If you’ve been reading my Sarasota Scene articles over the past decade or so, you’ve surely noticed that I bring myself into the story more often than most of the magazine’s writers. While I resist that urge in the Literary Scene column, my editor said to go for it regarding my latest published book…so long as I didn’t speak overly long about dark elves and bumbling robots.

“Easily done!” I told her while suddenly wishing I COULD write a lengthy treatise on the merits of dark elves and the wonders of bumbling robots. With a writing partner like mine, however, it didn’t take long to bring our conversation around to useful things beyond those two ideas. See for yourself.

Ryan: Before we talk about our book, let’s talk about collaboration in general.

Rick: Listening is at the heart of cooperation, right?

You’ve got to be able to listen to each other’s thoughts and ideas. Then there’s some element of give and take.

And I think one of the things that collaboration really excels at is letting people both reexamine their ideas and strengthen them based on feedback as they work through a problem together. On a project like ours, collaboration was great because we were grappling with a lot of big picture stuff. How does science fiction work?

How does horror work? How does writing work? But there were the little things, too. How do you talk about monsters? Ghosts? Magic? It was useful to be able to bounce those back and forth.

This is nonfiction, though. I’m honestly less sure how it would work with fiction. Have you done that before?

Ryan: I’ve ghosted novels before, which counts in my mind. I’ve even done one project where my partner and I sat at a computer together and wrote the entire book by talking through each sentence as we typed it.

Rick: That sounds tedious.

Ryan: It was a unique experience. Now, let’s talk about our book. It’s a writing how-to, after all, so what’s the most important thing that people should know or understand about writing genre stories?

Rick: Don’t get swept up in the details of the cool scientific puzzle that you’re doing or that you’re fascinated by, such as the weird, wild magic system you’ve come up with, or the 1000-year history of your vampire. Those things can be cool and can add some specific genre flavors. Just remember that it’s got to be a story first for anyone to care about all that other interesting stuff. The flip side of that is that with genre writing, your audience is coming for those things. They want to engage with interesting ideas about the future and science fiction or imagining other possible impossible worlds with fantasy or just coming in to be scared in horror, right? Don’t just put the trappings of those things into your story without engaging with what makes those genres really tick and be interesting.

MAY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

97

• a r t s + c ult ur e •

Ryan: What surprised you most about our collaboration?

Rick: I don’t have a good answer to this because it kind of went according to our plan.

Ryan: So people know what the plan was, I’ll dish.

You’ve been teaching genre-writing classes a lot at Ringling College, so you wrote the first draft of the genre-specific chapters so you could include classroomtested tips and ideas, whereas I’ve been writing a lot of general articles for The Writer and Writer’s Digest, so it just made sense for me to tackle the chapters on character, plot, revision, and publishing.

Here’s what was surprising for me—even though I’ve written about all these topics before in various ways, when I sat down to tackle them for this book, it was almost like doing it again from scratch. I had to reinvent answers that worked for me in that moment instead of parroting those I’ve read somewhere or that I used in a class five years ago.

Rick: Good point.

Ryan: I’ll add this, too. What made things work was that we both left our egos at the door. If we argued over whose name had to go first on the cover, or who got to take the first crack at writing the introduction, we’d have been sunk from the start. It helped that we had talked through as many potential challenges as we could think of BEFORE we encountered them.

Rick: An ounce of prevention versus a pound of cure.

Ryan: Exactly. Now, do you care to share what we’re collaborating on next?

Rick: We’re revising Writing Fiction for Dummies¸ which is a very different type of project because we have two collaborators who aren’t collaborating with us, which is to say we’re revising and updating the work of the two original authors. In some parts of the book, it just needs updating since the material is a decade old, but in other parts, we just don’t agree with how things are presented. It’s an interesting new challenge that I’m really excited about, even if it’s likely that in another 10 years, some other writer—or writers!—will come along to create the third edition and undo or change all of our work.

98

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

“

I think one of the things that collaboration really excels at is letting people both reexamine their ideas and strengthen them based on feedback as they work through a problem together.

“

Ryan: That’s a problem for Future Rick and Future Ryan, I suppose. Now, for Today Rick, I have one final question.

What should we do differently this time around in terms of collaborating with this next For Dummies book?

Rick: I think we’ll be able to work more efficiently with the editorial staff at Wiley. We have a far better sense about their own specific ways of doing things, so the whole process will likely be a lot smoother, whereas last time, we were kind of guessing about what they needed and wanted. Sometimes we were right and sometimes we were very wrong.

Ryan: But we learned a lot with the “very wrong” pathway.

Rick: And we figured it out in the end, which is maybe the only thing that matters.

Ryan: Stephen King says that “the scariest moment is always just before you start.” I think the second scariest is in the moments right after you finish. That’s when the second-guessing can start. But with a great collaborator like you, I had faith that we nailed it. And from the early reviews and feedback, it seems like the book is as useful as we hoped it would be.

SHADES SHADES

SAV

SUMMER ofofSUMMER S AV — ——S AV I NI N GGSSEEVVEENNTT —

Exclusive sa preferred c

As the year close, we w our thanks loyal custo limited tim up to 20% s your next c From the c office to th have the pe to maximiz every room Start by bo design con

FRIE FA SAVE up to 20 % on our favorite light finishes

*

SAVE up to 20 % on our favorite light finishes

It's summer, and there's nothing more soothing than a custom-designed storage solution in one of* our beautiful light finishes. Now through June 30, you can choose one of our lighter finishes and save up to 20%. * Request complimentary consultation or by contactingstorage your local showroom.

It's summer, anda there's nothing design more soothing thanonline a custom-designed solution in one of our

beautiful light finishes. Now through June 30, you can choose one of our lighter finishes and save up to 20%. * Request a complimentary design consultation online or by contacting your local showroom.

727.573.0700

californiaclosets.com

*Valid 11.01.19 at participating locations only.

Applies shelves and partitions only.

Finishes may vary may vary by location. Applies to shelves *Valid 05.01.22 through 06.30.22 at participating locations only.through Cannot 12.31.19 be combined with other offers.

Offer valid on newtopurchases only.

Finishes included in promotion by location. not to exceed 20% of install value.

OfferCalifornia valid on new purchases only. be reserved. combinedFranchises with other independently offers. and partitions only. Savings not to exceed 20% of installSavings value. Excludes The Everyday System™. ©2022 Closet Company, Inc.Cannot All rights owned and operated. ©2019 California Closet Company, Inc. All rights reserved. Each franchise independently owned and operated.

SARASOTA 1411 1st St

TAMPA

2606 W Kennedy Blvd

ST PETE

1001 4th St N

*Valid 05.01.22 through 06.30.22 at participating locations only. Cannot be combined with other offers. Offer valid on new purchases only. Finishes included in promotion may vary by location. Applies to shelves and partitions only. Savings not to exceed 20% of install value. Excludes The Everyday System™. ©2022 California Closet Company, Inc. All rights reserved. Franchises independently owned and operated.