LONGBOAT
Observer
Longboat Key’s weekly newspaper since 1978
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
Goodbye to a legend.
PAGE 1B
FREE • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2024
VOLUME 46, NO. 27
YOUR TOWN
Carter Weinhofer
The Little Free Library at Bayfront Park.
Little libraries in need of reads Have some old children’s books lying around? Longboat Key parents are looking for donations of gently used children’s books for all ages to restock the Little Free Libraries on the island. There are two located on Longboat Key — one at Bayfront Park and another at Bicentennial Park near town hall. Little Free Library is a nonprofit that aims to build community and expand access to books. The “libraries” allow community members to donate and share used books by leaving them in the stands for others to pick up.
Courtesy images
Clockwise from top: 626 S. Owl Drive ($11.25 million), 560 Putter Lane ($5.25 million) and 6877 Gulf of Mexico Drive ($9.45 million) were just some of 2023’s big-ticket sales.
REAL ESTATE REWIND
How did Longboat Key real estate fare last year compared to 2022? SEE PAGE 3A
Courtesy image
Susan Goldfarb and Bob Spitzer
Songs and a dance
Everyone was getting their groove on at the Education Center at Temple Beth Israel last weekend. The Education Center held its Kickin’ Karaoke and Dancing through the Decades Fundraiser on Feb. 10. Education Center Technical Director Carl Kurtyka ran the karaoke and DJ-ed the event. He played music from throughout the decades, including swing and today’s top hits. People sang their favorites with a special tribute to Motown. Guests dressed up in costumes from their favorite decades for the chance to win two tickets to see the West Coast Black Theatre Troupe at the Education Center. Arlene Levy showed up in an authentic poodle skirt and won best costume of the night. “It was so nice to see a lot of the loyal students of the Education Center singing and dancing their hearts out,” said Program Director Susan Goldfarb. “It was just the perfect night to throw everything to the wind and dance all your stresses away.”
A+E
Carter Weinhofer
Residents fill the Longboat Key Town Commission chamber for the first community input meeting for the Sarasota County public library project.
Brainstormers Sarasota County kicks off public input for the new LBK library. SEE PAGE 5A
Classical approach. INSIDE