Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras Crawl

 https://www.visitvenicefl.org/fat-tuesday-mardi-gras-crawl-2022/

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

Downtown Venice Art Festival

http://www.artfestival.com/festivals/downtown-venice-art-festival-venice-florida/artist

 About the Festival

When:  Saturday, November 6th, 2021

10:00am to 5:00pm

Sunday, November 7th, 2021

10:00am to 5:00pm

Where:

100-300 West Venice Ave in Venice, FL

Cost:  Free Admission

Located on Florida's west coast, Venice is a vibrant town on the Gulf of Mexico, filled with historic charm, natural beauty, and independently owned shops and restaurants. Considered one of the best kept secrets in all of Florida, the community of Venice has a number of special surprises awaiting you. Whether you like shopping in the unique stores of the downtown Venice Main Street district or prefer golfing, boating, or other recreational activities, Venice has it all. 

Settled along West Venice Avenue, the Downtown Venice Art Festival adds to the ambiance of this unique town. More than 100 of the nation's most notable artists will exhibit their work, ranging in mediums from photography to jewelry, paintings to sculpture, ceramics, glass, mixed media and more during this weekend community festival.  Festival patrons and art collectors alike can meet and visit with their favorite artists, view and purchase original works, or commission custom pieces. 

Please be mindful and follow CDC guidelines.

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

July 4th Fireworks Show Sun Jul 4, 2021

 https://allevents.in/venice/july-4th-fireworks-show/200021111328024

July 4th Fireworks Show

Fireworks will be shot from the South Jetty on Sunday, July 4, shortly after 9 p.m. to celebrate Independence Day. The free show will last an estimated 30 minutes.

Although the South Jetty and Jetty Jacks Refreshment Deck will be closed for safety July 3-4, the fireworks display may be viewed on area beaches from Caspersen to Nokomis, as well as from other locations around Venice. Arrive early to secure your spot. Social distancing between groups is encouraged.

Boats should be at anchor by 8:30 p.m. July 4; the Venice Inlet will be closed to boat traffic at 8:45 p.m. until about 45 minutes after the display’s grand finale.

In the case of inclement weather, the fireworks show may be delayed. Please visit this Facebook page, the City's Twitter (@CityofVeniceFL), or the News section of the City website, www.venicegov.com, for updates.

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

 https://www.visitvenicefl.org/st-patricks-day-downtown-2021

Let’s get into the Irish spirit on Wednesday, March 17th in historic downtown Venice! Wear something green (so you don’t get pinched) and come downtown for music, beer and fun at participating stores and restaurants. Masks are strongly encouraged to keep this a safe event.

DOWNTOWN ENTERTAINMENT

Miami Avenue West:

Abby’s on Miami– Music by Karen

West Venice Avenue:

Café Venice – George DeJong and Rick Aaron 5-8pm

Daiquiri Deck– Nick Sperry and Forrest Shafer 12-3pm; Geoff Ramsey 4-8pm

Made In Italy– DJ Scrappy

TJ Carney’s– featuring Irish dancers, bagpipers, and Ken McBride

Venice Wine & Coffee Company– Nick Sperry’s Yacht Rock Review 6:30-9pm

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

Downtown Venice Art Classic

 https://www.eventcrazy.com/Venice-FL/events

Open Date: Sat, Mar 06, 2021 Close Date: Sun, Mar 07, 2021  

Description:

Since 2002. Located on Florida's west coast, Venice is a vibrant town on the Gulf of Mexico, filled with historic charm, natural beauty, and independently owned shops and restaurants. Considered one of the best kept secrets in all of Florida, the community of Venice has a number of special surprises awaiting you. Whether you like shopping in the unique stores of the downtown Venice Main Street district or prefer golfing, boating, or other recreational activities, Venice has it all.

Location:  Downtown

West Venice Avenue at North Park Boulevard, Venice, FL 34285

Additional Features:  Crafts

Hours:10am-5pm

Admission:  Free

Attendance:  65,000

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

OUTDOORS: Black sea bass are making a comeback

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/sports/outdoors/fishing/20

 Black sea bass is a scrappy little number that is also hard to beat on the table. 

Capt. Zach ZachariasCorrespondent, March 4, 2021

   

Black sea bass are making somewhat of a comeback. Orion Welden

There is a species of fish which used to be quite abundant on hard bottom areas of the Gulf that became fairly rare for a while. According to recent reports, I'm happy to hear they are making somewhat of a comeback. That species would be the black sea bass.

Now this is far from a glamorous sport fish, nor a bottom dweller that will bring you to your knees, but it is a scrappy little number that is also hard to beat on the table.

Black sea bass inhabit Florida coastal waters of 20 to 80 feet or so and favor structured live habitats including some inshore areas. Sea bass are winter spawners with a peak in March and they prefer a diet of small fish, shrimp, squid, crustaceans and shellfish.

They are usually an incidental catch when targeting grouper and snapper, but can be great fun when using scaled back, lighter tackle which also increase your odds of catching them. Fishing in the shallower part of their range helps your odds as well.

The Florida state record is 5 pounds 1 ounce caught near Panama City, but can reach 24 inches and 8 pounds. The average is 12 inches and 1.5 pounds. The minimum size limit in the Gulf is 10 inches overall and I was shocked to learn that the daily recreational bag limit is 100 pounds per person. Gimme a break! How do you even enforce an outrageous limit as that. For all intents, there is no bag limit at all. In our Atlantic waters the minimum size is 13 inches and the bag is 7 per person. That is far more reasonable and begs the question why is there such a huge differential between the two coasts.

No wonder they were such a rare catch for a while!

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

We're turning 75 and would like your help

 https://www.yoursun.com/venice/opinion/were-turning-75-and-would-like-your-help

Scott Lawson Gondolier Editor, December 14, 2020

If you've spent any time in Venice, we'd like to see your photographs and hear your stories. 

It's a part of what we do — learn about our community and showcase our shared stories. 

And, as the Venice Gondolier heads toward its 75th anniversary, we're hoping you'll help with our project. 

Maybe you're someone who has been in the city or area for a few months but you have that epic shot at the South Jetty with waves splashing the kids from last week. Maybe you're someone born here 75 years ago with boxes of photos from seven decades. 

We'd love to see the photos and hear the stories. 

Because while we're turning 75, our job has never been about us. It's always been about you — our readers and our community. You have the stories that we, in turn, tell. 

Our offices remain closed to the public due to the pandemic, but through the magic of this internet you can email us fairly easily. 

We are hoping to collect a lot of images and stories that go with them and add them to the 75th year of The Venice Gondolier in a variety of ways. Of course, this is completely up to our readership to help out. 

And that's one of the reasons why newspapers exist: to give future generations a chance to look back at our momentary experiences. 

So, do you have a story about community and how it shaped you for a day or a lifetime? We'd like to hear it. 

The plan is to highlight the main stories of  Venice and the surrounding community in the last 75 years as part of our celebration. At a recent planning meeting, a group of four journalists came up with more than 50 story ideas in just 30 minutes. It's going to keep us busy. 

Everything from the main things that have shaped Venice — the Venice Intracoastal Waterway, the circus, the Venice Municipal Airport — to the businesses and people who impacted it through the decades. 

From festivals to the Venice Little Theatre that became Venice Theatre to the creation of South Venice, the longtime community of Laurel and the annexation of North Venice (and everything beyond Capri Isles, for that matter), we know experiences last longer than just moments. 

And that's one of the reasons why newspapers exist: to give future generations a chance to look back at our momentary experiences.

 You can email me at scott.lawson@yoursun.com. We'll be working with our staff and correspondents in coming weeks to put these stories into our special edition — but, with 75 years worth of editions and literally thousands of stories a year, it's going to take a lot of work. 

And we don't mind work. We're just hoping for a bit of a helping hand from our readership and community. 

If you have any questions, feel free to either email me at scott.lawson@yoursun.com or give me a call at my office phone, 941-429-3002. And thanks, in advance, for putting us to work. 

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

Restaurant News: Food Network stars opening The Chateau Anna Maria in Holmes Beach

 https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/entertainment/dining/2020/12/11/food-network-stars-open-anna-maria-island-restaurant/3881394001/

Jimmy Geurts Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Dec 11, 2020

The restaurant at Waterline Marina Resort will be a second location for The Chateau on the Lake, which has appeared on the series "Summer Rush."

Anna Maria Island's Waterline Marina Resort will soon welcome a new restaurant, which television viewers may already recognize along with its owners.

The Chateau Anna Maria is set to open on Dec. 20 in the former space of Eliza Ann's Coastal Kitchen at the Holmes Beach hotel that is part of Marriott's upscale Autograph Collection. It will serve as a second location for The Chateau on the Lake, an upstate New York restaurant that has been named one of the 100 Most Romantic and Scenic Restaurants in America by OpenTable and appeared on the Food Network show "Summer Rush."

The reality series follows the Foy family and three restaurants they run in Bolton Landing, a tourist town at Lake George. Married couple Buddy Foy Jr. and Jennifer Foy, who operate Chateau on the Lake, will also serve as co-owners of The Chateau Anna Maria. 

In a phone interview with the Herald-Tribune, Foy Jr. said he already knew Sarasota-Manatee well through family. His parents Cate and Buddy Foy Sr. have lived on Anna Maria Island for more than 20 years, his brother Keith lives in Sarasota and his daughter Summer graduated this year from IMG Academy in Bradenton.

“It’s a very similar environment during the winter in Florida as it was here in the summer," Foy Jr. said. "(We said) let’s duplicate what we did, let’s bring our employees and keep them employed, and let’s go for it."

The Chateau Anna Maria's menu will feature a similar sensibility as Chateau on the Lake, which Foy Jr. described as "French-inspired, Italian portions." There will be an emphasis on fresh seafood, with imported cheeses and meats from Europe.

Seating will accommodate about 75 inside, though that will be reduced for social distancing during the pandemic, and around 100 outdoors, offering dock slips for guests arriving by boat. They plan to expand seating to 300-400, the majority of which will be outside, in a later second phase.

The restaurant will be open daily serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, though it plans to open with continental breakfast before expanding to a larger menu. Lunch will be more casual than dinner, with reservations recommended for the latter, but Foy Jr. doesn't want the atmosphere to be overly formal.

"It's white tablecloth, but it's comfortable white tablecloth," Foy Jr. said. "We don't turn away people in flip-flops. People walk in with khakis and flip-flops, they're more than comfortable."

Foy Jr. plans to move to Sarasota-Manatee and spend about half of the year here, continuing to spend the summer in upstate New York. Filming has taken place during the process of opening The Chateau Anna Maria, Foy Jr. said.

Waterline Marina Resort is located at 5325 Marina Drive in Holmes Beach. For more information on The Chateau Anna Maria, visit thechateauannamaria.com.

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 annual calendars available

 https://www.yoursun.com/venice/arts_entertainment/venice-annual-calendars-available/article_

• Staff Report
 
• Dec 2, 2020

VENICE — Need a simple gift that is beneficial to a Venice resident?

Want one for yourself?

The city has released its Venice 2021 calendar — limit one per person while supplies last.

“The new calendar features beautiful photos of some of Venice’s best-known landmarks by local photographers, an overview of the city budget, photos of City Council and charter officers, a directory of frequently used phone numbers, month-by-month listings of council and advisory board meetings, a map of Venice city limits and other useful information for both residents and visitors,” the city said in an email.

A free copy can be picked up at Venice City Hall inside its information center at 401 W. Venice Avenue. The calendar can be obtained 8 a.m. to noon or 1 to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday, the city said.

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