WELCOME TO SAVOR TOWN

 https://www.sarasotamagazine.com/eat-and-drink/2022/05/savor-sarasota-2022

Pop’s Sunset Grill is one of this year’s restaurants participating in Savor Sarasota.

IMAGE: COURTESY PHOTO

Savour Sarasota Week is kicking off its 17th year beginning Monday, June 1, and continuing through Tuesday, June 14. With over three dozen participating restaurants, it promises to be a delicious start to the summer.

Diners can take advantage of Savor Sarasota by enjoying a prix-fixe lunch for $20 or dinner for $35. Some restaurants may also offer optional “upgrades” and wine pairings for an additional charge.

Here is the current list of this year’s participating Savor Sarasota restaurants:

• 99 Bottles
• 1592 Wood Fired Kitchen & Cocktails
• Amore Restaurant
• Andrea’s Sarasota
• Bavaro’s Pizza Napoletana & Pastaria
• Bevardi’s Salute! Restaurant
• Bijou Garden Cafe
• Bistro at the Sarasota Art Museum
• Bohemio’s Wine and Tapas Bar
• Breakfast at Victoria’s
• Cafe Barbossa
• Cafe Evergreen
• Cafe Venice Restaurant & Bar
• C’est La Vie!
• Chaz 51 Steakhouse
• Chef Rolf’s New Florida Kitchen
• Crow’s Nest Restaurant, Tavern & Marina
• Dolce Italia
• Duval’s Fresh. Local. Seafood.
• Farlow’s on the Water
• Fins at Sharky’s
• Flavio’s On Main
• Fleming’s Steakhouse and Wine Bar
• Green Zebra
• Landy’s Restaurant
• Libby’s Neighborhood Brasserie LWR
• Libby’s Neighborhood Brasserie-Sarasota
• Lucarelli’s Restaurant
• Mattison’s Forty-One
• Michael’s on East
• Miguel’s
• Off the Hook Seafood
• Opus Restaurant & Lounge
• Overture Restaurant and Gallery Lounge
• Pop’s Sunset Grill
• Ristorante San Marco of Venice
• Rodizio Grill
• Selva Grill
• The Bistro at The Concession Golf Club
• The Reserve Retreat
• The Ringling Grillroom
• Tripletail Seafood & Spirits
• Tsunami Sushi & Hibachi

Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate

REALTOR®, Lic. Broker #BK3284964

West Villages Realty LLC

19503 S West Villages Pkwy

Stes A2 (by Appt)

Venice, Florida 34293

Office: 941-460-3179

 

Venice closes on $1.5 million purchase of park land on Laurel Road

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2022/03/08/venice-florida-closes-purchase-laurel-road-park/9423390002/

Staff Report, Published 10:34 ET March 8, 2022

VENICE – The city of Venice has closed on the purchase of a 4.9-acre property at 3560 Laurel Road East, for $1.5 million.

The city plans to create a new park there for northeastern Venice, with possible amenities including passive and active areas, nature and paved walking trails, pickleball courts, a children’s playground and a dog park.

The property must next be rezoned for park use and then a design/build team would be selected, with the design process anticipated to start in October.

The city purchased the land from Border Road Investments, LLC, which is affiliated with Pat Neal and his associates.

The park is being funded through impact fees. Design is anticipated to cost $300,000, with construction anticipated to be between $2 million and $3 million, depending on the amenities at the park.

the City of Venice closed on the purchase of this 4.9 acre parcel on the south side of Laurel Road that will be developed as a park.  PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE CITY OF VENICE

Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate

REALTOR®, Lic. Broker #BK3284964

West Villages Realty LLC

19503 S West Villages Pkwy

Stes A2 (by Appt)

Venice, Florida 34293

Office: 941-460-3179

Atlanta Braves World Series schedule

https://tomahawktake.com/2021/10/24/atlanta-braves-world-series-schedule/

by Alan Carpenter, October 25, 2021

Yes, the Atlanta Braves were the host team vs. the Dodgers, but that doesn’t matter for the World Series.

Still dealing with the euphoria:  our Atlanta Braves are going to the World Series!  They will face Troy Snitker and the Houston Astros starting on Tuesday, October 26th at Minute Maid Park.

Snitker — yes, the son of Braves manager Brian Snitker — is one of the hitting coaches for the Astros.  Somebody has already wondered aloud on twitter whether Brian’s wide is going to get one of those ‘split jerseys’ to pay allegiance to both.

But… about that game schedule:

TUESDAY OCT 26.  8pm EDT.  Braves at Astros; Minute Maid Park, Houston.

WEDNESDAY OCT 27.  8PM EDT.  Braves at Astros; Minute Maid Park, Houston.

Travel Day

FRIDAY OCT 29.  8PM EDT.  Astros at Braves; Truist Park, Atlanta.

SATURDAY OCT 30.  8PM EDT.  Astros at Braves; Truist Park, Atlanta.

The obligatory “if necessary” games:

SUNDAY OCT 31.  8PM EDT.  Astros at Braves; Truist Park, Atlanta.

Travel Day

MONDAY NOV 2.  8PM EDT.  Braves at Astros; Minute Maid Park, Houston.

TUESDAY NOV 3.  8PM EDT.  Braves at Astros; Minute Maid Park, Houston.

All games will be broadcast on the “Big Fox” network (yes… we’re done with Ron Darling for the year… thank heaven above).

After meeting the Astros in the post-season for what seemed every year in the 1990’s, it’s been quite a while since these clubs have even played at all… 2017 to be exact.

That year, of course, was the season of Houston’s tainted championship — though as it happens, most of the members of that club are no longer with the team:  only Altuve, Bregman, Correa, and Gurriel are still there.

But after some 700+ games between these teams, this will be their first matchup for the whole enchilada.  The World Series.

We will have much more to say about this event in the coming days, but I will go ahead and get this on the record now:  Braves take the series in 5 games…. 6 tops.  Lets git ‘r done.

Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate

REALTOR®, Lic. Broker #BK3284964

West Villages Realty LLC

19503 S West Villages Pkwy

Stes A2 (by Appt)

Venice, Florida 34293

Office: 941-460-3179

https://www.wellenparkjournal.com/

October 20, 2021

It WAS A GLORIOUS DAY FOR A GROUNDBREAKING. SMILES AND painted shovels everywhere. Hundreds of invited guests. All coming together to celebrate the beginning of the construction of beautiful Downtown Wellen.

Food and drink were abundant as guests chatted, took photos and milled around in the tent erected on the site of the future downtown.

The many development partners of Wellen Park, local officials and community members used the shovels they artistically painted to begin the earthmoving process. The shovels will be featured as a permanent art installation once Downtown Wellen opens.

“We wanted to do something forward-thinking with the same synergy that one will feel when visiting Downtown Wellen,” said Rick Severance, president of Wellen Park.

The event perfectly captured the lifestyle vibe that has made Wellen Park so attractive to homebuyers.

Guests were able to put together fresh flower bouquets from a mobile floral vendor, enjoy specialty drinks from a retrofitted vintage horse trailer-turned modern boutique bar and participate in an interactive painting station where they decorated pavers that will be used as part of a colorful walkway in the playground area of Downtown.

Downtown Wellen will feature an 80-acre lake, retail shops, numerous dining options, pedestrian-friendly streets and walkways, a permanent food truck park, a great lawn and a Town Hall that will host concerts and events. Residents and visitors alike will enjoy relaxing in the hammock grove and gathering under a giant heritage oak tree, nearly 100 years old.

The food truck park will include one from the Atlanta Braves, serving ballpark fare in Downtown Wellen.

Even the youngest residents will enjoy the downtown space with its natural playground, designed to appear as part of the landscape.

“We are designing a downtown that functions from morning to late evening,” Mr. Severance says. “Take a morning walk, meet for a business lunch or enjoy an evening concert. People want a purpose, with things to do and experiences they will remember.” The spacious downtown will create an environment that is spread out and comfortable. “It will be one of those places you’ll want visit again and again.”

“We are designing a downtown that functions from morning to late evening,” Mr. Severance says. “Take a morning walk, meet for a business lunch or enjoy an evening concert. People want a purpose, with things to do and experiences they will remember.” This is a place you will want to visit again and again.”

“I really believe that Downtown Wellen will be a place where families, couples and members of every generation can make memories. Grandkids will visit over spring break. People will get engaged or married here, maybe celebrate a 50th wedding anniversary,” Mr. Severance says.

“We want to be that spot that helps them make those memories.”

Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate

REALTOR®, Lic. Broker #BK3284964

West Villages Realty LLC

19503 S West Villages Pkwy

Stes A2 (by Appt)

Venice, Florida 34293

Office: 941-460-3179

The Atlanta Braves Win the NLDS over the Milwaukee Brewers

https://tomahawktake.com/

by Trent Dickeson,   Oct 13, 2021

The Atlanta Braves defeat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-4 and advance to the NLCS for the second straight season.

The Atlanta Braves elected to start Charlie Morton on short rest for game 4. Morton gave the Braves a solid 3.1 innings allowing 2 runs on 4 hits, 1 walk, and striking out 5.

Maybe Morton went an inning too long, but regardless, he gave the Braves a solid start in a pivotal game. Morton on short rest is better than most options, and there was always Max Fried on regular rest in game 5 if necessary.

Jesse Chavez came in for Morton after the starter yielded one run, though one of his inherited runners scored to give the Brewers a 2-0 lead.

In the bottom half of the 4th inning, the Braves tied up the game thanks to a pinch-hit two-run single from Eddie Rosario to score Austin Riley and Travis d’Arnaud.

The 5th inning was just as eventful, as Huascar Ynoa allowed a two-run home run to Rowdy Tellez to push the Brewers lead back to two. However, a Joc Pederson RBI fielder’s choice and d’Arnaud RBI single tied the game up again at four apiece.

The Braves bullpen slammed the door on the Brewers at this point. A.J. Minter, Luke Jackson, and Tyler Matzek combined for 3 perfect innings with 5 total strikeouts.  One could feel the momentum shift thanks to these efforts.

But the game was still tied.

The Face that Runs the Place Comes Through

The Brewers elected to go to their lockdown closer Josh Hader in the 8th inning in an effort to shut down the Braves offense.

On the season, Hader had a 1.23 ERA, 2.18 xERA, 1.69 FIP, 2.35 xFIP, and a 2.6 fWAR. He struck out 45.5% of the batters he faced during the year… including his first 2 hitters tonight.

What he hadn’t done this season was execute a multi-inning save.  In 60 regular season appearances, he had never even been called upon for even a 4-out save… much less 6 outs.

Nonetheless, Hader has a strong case to win NL Reliever of the Year and manager Craig Counsell had every reason to be confident in his guy to shut down the Braves offense.

There was only one problem: Freddie Freeman.

It only took one pitch.  Freeman gave the Braves a 5-4 lead with his 8th inning Home Run off of Hader… who still has not pitched a multi-inning save.

Freeman did what superstars do. He pulled through in the clutch when it was needed most, something he has done time and time again for the Braves.

Will Smith then entered in the 9th with a chance to save the game and send his club to the NLCS.

After a leadoff single from Eduardo Escobar, and a pop-out bunt attempt from Kolton Wong, Willy Adames and Christian Yelich both struck out to end the game.

The Atlanta Braves are back in the National League Championship Series and will face either the Dodgers or Giants.

In a season where the team did not get over .500 until game 109 on August 5th, they will now play for a shot to get to the World Series. What a year, what a team.

Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate

REALTOR®, Lic. Broker #BK3284964

West Villages Realty LLC

19503 S West Villages Pkwy

Stes A2 (by Appt)

Venice, Florida 34293

Office: 941-460-3179

Shark Tooth Capital of the World

https://sciencing.com/there-teeth-venice-beach-florida-7295925.html 

By J. Dianne Dotson

At different locations in Florida, you may find shark teeth in the sandy beaches. Some of them are fossils, and some are more recent tooth losses.

One area of Florida with a great concentration of shark teeth is Venice Beach on the Gulf Coast. This area is called the “shark tooth capital of the world.”

Shark Tooth Capital of the World

Venice Beach, Florida, is called the “shark tooth capital of the world” because of its preponderance of fossilized shark teeth. In particular, Caspersen Beach is a rocky portion of the area that is home to a glut of Venice Beach fossils.

Every year, Venice hosts a Shark's Tooth Festival that provides educational opportunities as well as the chance to buy good quality fossils. So why are there so many Venice Beach fossils? It helps to understand the lay of the land and sea in both the present and the past.

Prehistoric Seas and Venice Beach Sharks

In prehistoric times, 10 million years in the past, what is now Florida lay submerged under seas. A plethora of sharks plied those waters, and on portions of land, other prehistoric animals roamed such as mastodons, mammoths and saber-toothed cats.

As for the Venice Beach sharks, the species that lived in Florida included makos, bull, sand, lemon, great whites, tiger sharks and the massive megalodon, which is now extinct. Sharks lose thousands of teeth in their lifetimes, so over millions of years, a significant amount of shark teeth fossils have built up.

The enormous megalodon is the most prized tooth fossil of all the Venice Beach sharks. They can be several inches long. There is a layer of fossils in the Venice Beach area that can range up to 35 feet deep!

Good Locations for Shark Teeth Hunting

In southwest Florida, Venice Beach sits along a sloping shelf of a coastal land mass. With no sharp drop, a layer of shark teeth fossils is gradually eroded and brought on shore. The aforementioned Caspersen Beach offers a good concentration of shark teeth fossils at low tide, with about four miles of beach available to search. Other prime locations include Casey Key and Manasota Key.

The Venice Fishing Pier can operate as a base of operations in your Venice Beach shark fossil hunt. There are also places where you can kayak to hunt for shark teeth. The Peace River offers good chances for fossil expedition tours, with November through May being the best time to go. These tours provide great ways to learn about the rest of Florida’s natural history as well.

Different vendors offer rentals or sales of shovels and screened baskets, perfect for sorting through the sand. You may find coral pieces, shells and possibly other fossils in your quest. Finding at least one tooth is essentially guaranteed.

Tools to Use for Venice Beach Fossils

If you would like to hunt for Venice Beach fossils, obtain a fossil-hunting permit. This is not required for shark teeth per se, but as there are vertebrate fossils also prevalent, the permit allows for their preservation.

Fossilized shark teeth tend to be dark in color, whereas newer teeth are paler. Use a scoop to dig into the sand, and use a screen to filter through the sand to look for shark teeth. Some captains provide charter trips for divers, who can find much larger prehistoric shark teeth fossils a bit offshore.

The majority of the shark teeth you will find may range from 1/8 of an inch to 3/4 of an inch. Megalodon teeth are larger, and each inch of tooth length corresponds to 10 feet of the animal’s length! 

Whatever shark teeth you find, you can marvel at the wonder of so many sharks that lived so long ago.

Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate

REALTOR®, Lic. Broker #BK3284964

West Villages Realty LLC

19503 S West Villages Pkwy

Stes A2 (by Appt)

Venice, Florida 34293

Office: 941-460-3179

FantaSea comes to Venice

 https://www.yoursun.com/venice/fantasea-comes-to-venice/article_26f0cc5e-9612-11eb-89c2-9f4bbdb4e1d1.html

• By FRAN VALENCIC Gondolier Social Columnist, April
 7, 2021

From left, Carol Anne Laufenberg, lead cashier, and Pat Mada, volunteer with the Venice Art Center, enjoy welcoming seahorses and mermaids to the facility.

PHOTO BY FRAN VALENCIC

Sea horses and mermaids arrived at the Venice Art Center ready to come alive as FantaSea Venice. Artists selected one of the 47 statues to bring to life. Each statue will have its own unique personality.

Over the next few months the project becomes more exciting with each brush stroke as the white statues take on a rainbow of color thanks to 47 talented artists.

In the end. each creation takes center stage at an auction soiree ready for purchase and a permanent home in Venice and beyond.

Venice Art Center Director Mary Moscatelli supervised the delivery and unpacking of the statues. Kearney Movers unloaded the cargo which traveled for about 22 hours from Nebraska. Icon Poly was the producer.

Over the last few years Venice has experienced the fun of Art Center fund raising projects starting with the Pigs in Paradise. They were a hit around town with some folks challenging themselves to pose for a picture with each one.

Then there were dolphins and turtles and Sea Venice. These brought more excitement and more people came to town to Sea Venice. Now we will celebrate FantaSea Venice. These days the Venice Art Center is in a get ready, get set mode.

After the pigs, turtles and dolphins, getting ready for sea horses and mermaids is a no brainer. Patrick Jaehne, of Patrick Air, one of the sponsors summed the project up best when he said: “After what Venice has been through this past year, it needs this.”

Let the fun begin with FantaSea Venice.

Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate

REALTOR®, Lic. Broker #BK3284964

West Villages Realty LLC

19503 S West Villages Pkwy

Stes A2 (by Appt)

Venice, Florida 34293

Office: 941-460-3179