LONGBOAT
SEASON WINTER 2024
Observer
T H E O B S E R V E R ’S G
U I D E TO T H E A R TS
AND SOCIETY
Longboat Key’s weekly newspaper since 1978
INSIDE MUSIC DANCE ART THEATER BLACK TIE
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
FREE • THURSDAY, JANUARY 4, 2024
VOLUME 46, NO. 21
YOUR TOWN
To sell or not to sell, Tidewell Shortly after the building at 540 Bay Isles Road went up for sale, the $3 million listing was taken off the market. SEE PAGE 2
Courtesy image
Henry Schindler
Breakfast of champions It’s never too early to pick up a good habit like reading the local paper. Henry Schindler, 3, learned on his Sarasota Christmas vacation that breakfast is much more interesting with some quality reading material on hand. Henry was visiting the area from Hoffman Estates, Illinois, with sisters Natalee, 12, and Amelia, 8, and parents Lisa and Ricky Schindler. Henry’s walk down Sarasota’s Main Street wasn’t complete without a stop at the Observer Media Group’s newsrack. After trips to Save Our Seabirds and Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, Henry appreciated the animal-related pictures in the Longboat Observer’s 2023 photo retrospective.
COMING
SOON
Ten Longboat Key projects are primed for progress in 2024. SEE PAGE 3 Courtesy image
Drone images show the lagoon taking shape in November at the St. Regis Longboat Key.
Literary tip
Longboater Barbara Mishkin’s new book is flying off bookshelves. “TIP’s Magical Journey: The Ride of Discovery and Inspiration,” which came out Aug. 15, 2023, takes young readers on a captivating train ride filled with valuable life lessons. The book was inspired by a story Mishkin’s father told her during her childhood. She passed down this story to her children, and they encouraged her to publish it as a children’s book. The book follows an 8-yearold boy meeting characters from different countries who share their wisdom with him. It is an extension of the nonprofit she started nine years ago in Pennsylvania, the Inspiration Project. “TIP’s Magical Journey” has won several different awards from the National Parenting Center including Winner of the Holiday 2023 Inclusion Report, Literary Titan, Readers’ Favorite Award and the fivestar Readers’ Choice Award in its Autumn Book Awards. On Amazon, the book has received more than 20 five-star reviews.
A+E
Key people to watch Five people and one family. We got to know the Longboaters who are bringing something fresh to island in 2024 — whether that’s a new business, dining option, service or perspective. STARTING ON PAGE 6
Top tickets. INSIDE