SARASOTA/SIESTA KEY
Observer
Must love dogs.
PAGE 22
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
FREE • THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2023
VOLUME 19, NO. 46
YOUR TOWN
Big plans for county building A community workshop led to prelim plans for the Ringling Blvd. complex. SEE PAGE 3
Courtesy image
It’s black and white: Slow down If you’ve driven Sarasota’s roads lately, there is a chance you have also spotted an individual in a zebra costume. As the zebra’s “yield” sign may attest, these sightings have nothing to do with Halloween. “The idea was to take a serious topic and make cooperation and compliance a little bit fun,” said David Lough, the wearer of the suit. Lough traveled the town to be photographed in the suit, which he bought from Amazon.com for $50, after the board of the Downtown Sarasota Condominium Association, an organization of which he is president, voted to promote the concept of a volunteerbased program of traffic-calming zebras inspired by a similar program in La Paz, Bolivia. A supporter of roundabouts, Lough hopes the zebras would encourage drivers to yield to oncoming traffic in roundabouts.
IT’S PUMPKIN SEASON! The festival at Fruitville Grove offers a taste of fall each weekend until Oct. 29. SEE PAGE 20
Ian Swaby Courtesy image
Camila McMahon, 3, looks over the pumpkins available at the Fruitville Grove Fall Festival.
Rise Up Cafe is ready to serve After a two-month closure for rebranding, Rise Up Cafe reopened to the public last week. Located at 1534 State St., the nonprofit-run cafe’s mission is unchanged. Formerly known as Rise and Nye’s, it still provides opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to learn new skills and use their talents in the workplace. Rise Up debuted its fresh look and logo with a new menu that offers artisanal bagels crafted using a two-day process. Rise Up will also offer coffee, of course, and has 50 new ice cream recipes, said Beaver Shriver, founder. And six of those ice creams will be dairy-free. Shriver also said that his wife, Erin, has “elevated” the menu with healthy options. “We’ve branded as Rise Up Cafe to better fit the product offerings and mission,” said Shriver. “(The opening) was like a big-screen TV sale at Walmart — everyone was banging down the door.”
A+E Horrible fun. INSIDE
Space to shred With just one skate park in Sarasota, local riders are feeling cramped. SEE PAGE 9 Andrew Warfield
A young rider catches air on a scooter at Payne Skate Park.