Community Manatee Spotlight April 1, 2012

Final Two Free Kayak Trips Of Sarasota Bay Set For April

There are two free kayak tours available with the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program (SBEP) in April. The trips will explore Lyons and Blackburn Bay on Saturday, April 7 and Saturday, April 21. Eight prior kayak excursions from December through March explored other popular destinations in Sarasota Bay spanning Manatee and Sarasota Counties.

Additional information and registration is available online at sarasotabay.org. Participants are required to bring their own kayak. Outfitters throughout the region rent kayaks and offer demonstrations and beginner classes. The Bay Wise Kayak Program is for experienced kayakers.

The SBEP Bay Wise Kayak Tour Program is a fun learning opportunity to discover the plants, animals, habitats, and restoration projects that distinguish Sarasota Bay. Ten free guided trips are available annually from December through April. Brad Tanner, an expert kayaker and the School Programs Coordinator for Mote Marine Laboratory is the tour guide for the program.

O’Brien Family Farms Hosts FreshPoint Chef Tours

O’Brien Family Farms hosted their first of several tours with FreshPoint chefs.  O’Brien Family Farms was selected as one of the few farms to host the chefs from around the state due to their experience and expertise in growing different varieties of fruits and vegetables. 

The FreshPoint chef tour was held on Tuesday, March 27^th with over 30+ chefs from around the state in attendance.  O’Brien Family Farms was pleased to host the South Florida chefs from the Ritz-Carlton, Hyatt, Marriott, and other well respected venues.   

The chefs were given field tours of the wholesale and retail tomato and strawberry fields in East Bradenton.  Chefs were also given samples of the different varieties of produce that O’Brien Family Farms grows.

”We have partnered with FreshPoint to supply the food service and restaurant trade,“ says Tom O’Brien, owner ”most of your restaurants have jumped on the locally grown trend.“  Locally grown fruits and vegetables are fresher, have travelled less miles, and are picked and delivered within the same day.

O’Brien Family Farms is a farm stand and educational center that features hydroponically grown fresh fruits and vegetables that customers can pick themselves or buy freshly picked.

The Anna Maria Island Art League: Call to Artists

The Anna Maria Island Art League is having an exhibit May 4^th-May 25^th 2012 titled Creative Color. It is an all media juried exhibit open to area artists. Do vivid and dazzling colors play a role in your art work? Bring out your brightest and bring on the color!

Submissions for this show are May 1^st and May 2^nd from 10-2pm at the Anna Maria Island Art League, 5312 Holmes Blvd, Holmes Beach FL 34217.

2012 CCA Pathfinder  Boat Winner bought winning ticket at Crowder Bros. Ace Hardware in Lakewood Ranch!Congratulations to Cedric Crews, the 2012 CCA Pathfinder Boat Winner!  The drawing was held on March 29^th at the 26^th Annual CCA Keys Banquet held in Tavernier.  Cedric purchased his winning ticket from his neighborhood Crowder Bros. ACE Hardware in Lakewood Ranch.  Each year Crowder Bros. hosts the CCA Boat ticket sales at both of their West Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch locations.  Tickets for the 2013 CCA Pathfinder Boat will be available later this year. 

Junior Achievement Manatee/Sarasota Moves to New Office Space Donated by Unittus, Inc.

SARASOTA, FL – March 29, 2012 – Junior Achievement Manatee/Sarasota, a local chapter of the non-profit organization that teaches young people about the financial realities of life, announced that it has moved its regional offices. The new address is: 5319 Paylor Lane, Sarasota, FL 34240. The phone number remains the same: 941-907-9229.
 
”Thanks to this generous space donation by Unittus, we are able to continue to grow and increase the financial education programs we bring to thousands of Manatee and Sarasota county students,“ said Maggie Haley, Vice President of Operations, Junior Achievement of West Central Florida.
 
”We are excited to help further the mission of such a worthy organization as Junior Achievement,“ said Jon Anthony Astore, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Unittus. ”Junior Achievement aligns with one of the core commitments at Unittus, and also with my personal passion as an entrepreneur for more than four decades. We look forward to developing further synergistic relationships with Junior Acheivement in the future.“

First Citizen Fire Academy Completed

West Manatee Fire Rescue’s first Citizen Fire Academy recently graduated 17 academy attendees. The academy was divided into 6 sessions which discussed fire administration and organization; fire prevention; operations; emergency management, EMS and communications; specialty teams and the future of the Fire District and challenges ahead.

This academy gave citizens the opportunity to learn about how the Fire District provides diverse services and safety programs to the community. Weekly question and answer sessions allowed the attendees to gain a better understanding of the Fire District’s capabilities.

For additional information about the Citizen Fire Academy go to www.wmfr.org/citizens-fire-academy.