LONGBOAT
Observer Longboat Key’s weekly newspaper since 1978
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 43, NO. 13
FREE
YOUR TOWN
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She seeks sea shells.
PAGE 18
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2020
Buchanan reelected
Longboat Key resident propelled to eighth Congressional term. PAGE 3
Nat Kaemmerer
The Rev. Bill Friederich and Bah Hero
Bye, Rev. Bill and Bah The first couple of Longboat Island Chapel, the Rev. Bill Friederich and his wife, Bah Hero, is stepping away from their positions as Friederich retires. Of course, their congregants wouldn’t let them go without goodbyes. Hero was celebrated at a garden luncheon last week where friends reminisced and sent her off with flowers and a pumpkin. Friederich gave a goodbye sermon Nov. 1, complete with a list of thank-you’s to and from the congregation as he recalled his four-and-a-half years at the chapel.
Harry Sayer
Longboat Key’s Vern Buchanan celebrates his victory with his family at a Sarasota County Republican event at Robarts Arena in Sarasota.
MORAN, LAND PLAN WIN File photo
Library inches toward opening The Longboat Library will reopen for the season, once it gets all those donated books on the shelves. Library President Mary Baker returned to Longboat Key recently to find books donated over the summer everywhere inside the library and said she and other board members are overwhelmed with the generosity. The volunteer library board met Nov. 1 to try to come up with a plan for reopening based on COVID-19 numbers in the area in the coming weeks, but the first step will be cataloging and shelving the piles of donations.
Sarasota commissioner wins; Manatee land referendum passes. SEE PAGE 2
IT’S A TRADITION
Lots of Longboat Key residents still enjoy voting on Election Day. SEE PAGE 3
ELECTION RESULTS
How Longboat Key voted in Manatee and Sarasota races. SEE PAGE 3
Village parking gets OK
Spooky business casual
One more vote planned before resident-only plan is approved. SEE PAGE 5
Chamber event features attire to die for. SEE PAGE 14
Nat Kaemmerer
Debby McClung and Liz Yerkes dressed as skeletons to meet business associates at a Business After Hours event.