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December 2014
GREETINGS from the Friends
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| Tourist picnic Siesta Key 1941 |
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| Chapter Notes |
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Arts & Craft in Englewood
The Holiday Arts & Craft Show will return to the Englewood Sports Complex on Saturday, Dec. 6– it’s one day only – free admission and parking, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Holidays at Phillippi Farmhouse
Priscilla Brown writes to say:
 There will be plenty of holiday plants, orchids and cut flowers along with hanging baskets and bonsai dishes, all of which make wonderful holiday gifts. The bakeries in the market will have special holiday treats and the craftsmen have beautiful and unique handicrafts to solve your holiday shopping needs.
The market will be open every WEDNESDAY (except one) from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. with ample parking, the nicest FOSCP volunteers at the Welcome Tent and Fido-on-leash is welcome to come along to enjoy the local music and stroll the market.
Please note, however, that the farmhouse market will not be open on Christmas Eve, Wednesday, December 24. The market will resume on Wed December 31 – New Year’s Eve with plenty of goodies for your New Year’s Eve party needs.
SEE YOU AT THE MARKET!
. . . and in Englewood . . .
The Englewood Farmer’s Market on Dearborn is serving up healthy vegetables and more every Thursday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Catch them on Facebook — or better, in real life.
FLT Doings
Chuck Butterfield shared the latest from the Friends of the Legacy Trail:
Our next meeting is Tuesday, December 2 at Oscar Scherer State Park Nature Center.
At 6 pm we will have a Birthday Party.Friends of The Legacy Trail was “born” December 5, 2006 so we are 8 years old.
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| The opposite of a bicycle trail |
Come and enjoy birthday cake, some social time with other members and drawings for prizes. As a special treat, Mike Gippert, one of the founding members, will tell us how we were born and started to grow up.
At 6:30 pm we will have our business meeting with updates on key programs, events and the feasibility study to extend the Trail to downtown Sarasota. Our featured speaker will be Larry Mau, Branch Manager with Cardno TBE, who will present draft concept plans for the Trail extension. Definitely a hot topic for our organization!
Gulf Coast Gives has a running total on the latest funding for the Trail extension.
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| Outings at Lemon Bay and beyond |
| Lemon Bay Conservancy is pleased to announce a wide-ranging schedule of free public nature outings for the Fall 2014 – Winter 2015 season. The outings will be led by our outstanding volunteer guides, including Dr. Bill Dunson, Dave Clayton, Bob Cooper, Margaret Dunson, Jane Wallace, Dr. Bruce Dayton, and Dr. Fred Santana.
This season’s outings include a variety of walks at Lemon Bay Conservancy’s Wildflower Preserve with topics including “Birds, Bugs and Blooms,” “Edible and Medicinal Plants,” “Tarpon & Estuarine Creek Ecology,” “Plants and Animals: A Love Hate Relationship,” “Insects of Wildflower” and “Ecology of Wildflower Preserve.”
Beyond Wildflower, the Conservancy has joined with local environmental groups to co-sponsor nature outings at other locations including Stump Pass State Park, Myakka River State Park, Amberjack Environmental Preserve and Buck Creek Preserve.
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| Volunteer Sarasota |
That’s volunteer Kathryn Young of Sarasota Audubon using a kayak to collect trash around the boardwalks at Celery Fields. She found several entanglements of fishing line with plastic lures attached..
- Benefits in accord with Florida Workers’ Comp are afforded only to registered volunteers.
- Recording your work hours for the Friends and for the County can mean more grant money for new worthwhile projects for your Chapter. You can also track mileage.
- You get to belong to the elite group of volunteers that contribute so much to Sarasota’s parks, trails, public lands and more.
Reach out to Vickie French vfrench@scgov.net, or Brenda Canales bcanales@scgov.net with any questions! |
| A few more things |
Jingle Paws at Payne Park
Is your dog an athlete? Agility demos are part of Sarasota’s Jingle Paws Jubilee. All well behaved leashed dogs are welcome Sunday, Dec. 7, 2014 at Payne Park in downtown Sarasota.
This is a public event – please be sure to stop by the SarasotaDog.com tent and introduce yourself or say hello. Adorable adoptables will be on site from more than 20 rescue groups. Entertainment will include the Sarasota Favorite Suddi Brattli with traditional holiday music and the Free Style Doggy Dancing along with a fantastic demo by the K9 Unit of Sarasota County Police Department. Great food and fun!
Speaking of Jingle Paws, don’t forget about the 38th annual Sandy Claws Siesta Beach Runcoming on Dec. 13th.
Much to do about something in December
Take a full moon walk on the Pocono Trail, or hang out with Charlie Sample on a birding journey at the Carlton Reserve.  Get fit through a gentle workout at Urfer on Fridays, check outWinter at Red Bug, or study “Land Management in an Urban Setting” with Jeff Weber. There’s plenty more do to in December in our Parks and public lands – check them all out here.
If you’re still looking for things to do, the Manatee-Sarasota Sierra Club’s upcoming outdoor activities are here.
Strong Parks make Strong Communities
The quality of parks has a lot to do with the quality of life enjoyed by communities, according to Betsey Price, mayor of Fort Worth, TX.
There are clear correlations between parks and health indicators. In communities with few good parks, children tend to be less fit, and crime rates often increase, notes Price, who calls parks “problem-solvers” in this article.
To help parks is to help the health of communities in a big way – thanks for pitching in with Sarasota’s Parks!
Helping parks is helping the health of communities in a big way — thanks for pitching in — and have a marvelous December!
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The Newsletter of the
Friends of
Sarasota County Parks
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