The Anna Maria Island Sun Newspaper

VVol. 14 No. 43 - August 20, 2014

FEATURE

The 4th Annual Scallopalooza a class act

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story

RUST CHINNIS | SUN

A sellout crowd enjoyed a spectacular evening
for a great cause at the Sarasota Yacht Club.

Sarasota Bay Watch’s 4th Annual Scallopalooza fundraiser for community based scallop restoration treated guests to a special evening on Saturday, Aug. 9. The festivities began at 6 p.m. with registration, a social hour and a silent auction that featured a plethora of interesting gifts and experiences ranging from stays at some of the area’s finest resorts, golf at the Longboat Key Club, scuba equipment from Scuba Quest, head to toe clothing from Anna Maria Island Outfitters and guided fishing trips. The venue, The Sarasota Yacht Club, was the perfect setting, and the management and staff worked hard to make the evening memorable for all in attendance. Through the skillful efforts of Ronda Ryan, SBW President Larry Stults, board members and a group of student volunteers, the evening from registration to closing remarks went off flawlessly.

Master of ceremonies for the evening was Bob Harrigan, chief meteorologist for ABC 7, a longtime supporter and fan of Sarasota Bay Watch. After the silent auction and while guests dined, Harrigan opened the evening with welcoming remarks, noting that he has been following Sarasota Bay Watch’s progress from the first scallop search in 2007.

Stults then took the podium and gave a presentation on “Community Stewardship of Our Waterways” that highlighted the work that has been accomplished by Sarasota Bay Watch, as well as its goals and future aspirations. Included were slides of scallop searches, island debris clean ups, monofilament line clean ups on bird rookeries, scallop restoration efforts and much more. The evening moved along seamlessly as presentations coincided with the service of a meal perfectly prepared by the chef and professionally served by the wait staff. This marvelous banquet included a crisp garden salad, followed by a surf and turf entrée of grilled shrimp, and prime rib. The meal was capped off with coffee and key lime pie.

During the meal John McCarthy, a local historian, gave an informative and entertaining presentation entitled “Connecting Our Heritage with Our Future-Scallops as an Emblem of Our Community.” The presentation was fast-paced and tied together the mission of restoring scallops to Sarasota Bay with documentation through historic images of the key role scallops have played in our local heritage. In a surprising and humorous series of images, McCarthy showed examples of scallop motifs that seem to inhabit every corner of present day Sarasota.

The evening concluded with a live auction that featured such memorable items as a charter for four with Holmes Beach guide extraordinaire Captain Scott Moore, a dive for four at the Disney Aquarium, a Snook Tube Dude, marine art work by Steve Whitlock and a clam bake for 12.

All agreed that this was the most enjoyable and well run of the many excellent fund-raisers. When all the proceeds were tallied over $20,000 was raised for scallop restoration.


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