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Tag: World Oceans Day

Community celebrates the coast

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Community News, Cortez.

CORTEZ – The Coastal Community Celebration at the Florida Maritime Museum Thursday evening drew more than 100 people to celebrate World Oceans Day (June 8) a day early.

Established at the 1992 Earth Summit and declared an international holiday by the United Nations in 2009, World Oceans Day is a reminder of the importance of the ocean and keeping it healthy.

At the event, kids learned how hard it is to clean a drop of oil out of a pan of water – much less the ocean – looked at a cross section of a hatching sea turtle nest and touched the skull of a loggerhead sea turtle. Adults took in the maritime heritage of the historic Cortez commercial fishing village, including displays of a 1932 pole skiff built in Cortez, and the event of the evening, the grand opening of the Burton/Bratton Store, relocated to the museum grounds and restored as The Folk School at Florida Maritime Museum.

1932 pole skiff
Visitors to the Coastal Community Celebration check out a 1932 pole skiff built in Cortez. – Cindy Lane | Sun

Under a palm tree’s shade, Nathan Meschelle demonstrated how to make and mend fishing nets. Inside, people learned “The Meaning Behind Maritime” in a new, interactive exhibit inviting community members to share what “maritime” means to them on 3-by-3 canvases.

Nathan Meschelle
Nathan Meschelle demonstrates net mending on the museum grounds at the Coastal Community Celebration, sponsored by The Anna Maria Island Sun. – Cindy Lane | Sun

Visitors picked up their Cortez passports, which entitles bearers to a free Cortez Explorer jersey-style T-shirt after having their passports stamped at 12 or more participating businesses.

Liza Kubik
Seafood Shack Director of Marketing, Liza Kubik, shows off the Cortez Passport, which will earn bearers a Cortez T-shirt after they visit 12 businesses listed in the passport. – Cindy Lane | Sun

Free passports can be obtained at any participating location: AMI Dolphin Tours, Annie’s Bait & Tackle, Beach’n Rides & Rentals, Bradenton Boat Club, Bunny & Pirates, Cortez Bait & Seafood, Cortez Cafe, Cortez Deep Sea Fishing, Cortez Kitchen, Cortez Surf & Paddle, Cortez Watersports, Flippin’ Mullet Sports Bar, King Triton Excursions, Legend Fishing Charters, O’Shucks Raw Bar & Grill, The Sea Hagg, Seafood Shack, Star Fish Company, Swordfish Grill, The Beach Shop, Tide Tables, Tyler’s Ice Cream, YOLO adventures and WAVES Social Boat Club. The Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage (FISH), the Cortez Cultural Center and the Florida Maritime Museum and Folk School also are participating in the passport program.

Florida Maritime Museum
The Florida Maritime Museum is in the former Cortez Rural Graded School building on 119th Street West and Cortez Road West. – Cindy Lane | Sun
Coastal Community Celebration

Ocean lovers, dive in to celebrations

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Environment, Outdoors.

Ocean lovers can celebrate their favorite waters this week at events in Cortez and Palmetto in honor of World Oceans Day.

World Oceans Day – Friday, June 8 – was established at the 1992 Earth Summit, and was declared an international holiday by the United Nations in 2009 as a reminder of how important the ocean is to people everywhere.

The Florida Maritime Museum and Manatee County are offering two ways to participate.

Florida Maritime Museum, Cortez

Join the Coastal Community Celebration on Thursday, June 7 from 6-8 p.m. at the Florida Maritime Museum, 4415 119th St. W., Cortez.

During this free, family fun evening, FMM invites the community to celebrate the grand opening of the Burton/Bratton Store by participating in activities for kids and adults.

Beginning at 6 p.m., hear a brief history of the historic store, its importance in Cortez maritime history and its continued legacy as The Folk School at Florida Maritime Museum.

After the ribbon-cutting, wander the museum grounds to find crafts and interactive activities exploring ocean pollution, commercial fishing, sea turtles and more, all relating to the important ecosystem that is the ocean.

Continue your journey inside the museum to discover the new exhibit, “The Meaning Behind Maritime,” where community members reveal what maritime means to them on 3-by-3 canvases. Then add what maritime means to you during your visit.

For more information, visit the museum’s Facebook page.

Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources, Palmetto

The Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources Department will host the second annual World Oceans Day Festival on Saturday, June 9 at Emerson Point Preserve. The free festival will kick off at 9 a.m. and continue until noon.

The festival is a fun, family-friendly event celebrating the salty seas. A variety of free ocean-themed activities will be available for participants to learn about World Oceans Day.

You can dip nets into the waters of the Manatee River and discover the creatures hiding beneath the waves. Learn amazing facts about large marine wildlife, including sea turtles. Play oyster games and explore the history of fishing in Manatee County. Participants also will get a chance to touch a boat and paddle in a kayak.

The festival is a partnership between Manatee County and other water- and ocean-related organizations in Southwest Florida. This year’s partners include the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring, IFAS Extension Sea Grant of Manatee County, Florida Maritime Museum, WayneAdventures, Florida Public Archaeology Network and Manatee County’s Environmental Protection Division and Ecological and Marine Services Division.

Emerson Point Preserve, a 365-acre preserve at 5801 17th St. W., Palmetto, is at the mouth of the Manatee River and Tampa Bay where the salt and fresh waters meet as an estuary. The location of the preserve provides Manatee County residents and visitors with a place to relax and enjoy a serene experience, kayaking, fishing and wildlife watching, including osprey, egrets, jumping mullet, raccoons and dolphins.

For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page.

Cortez Florida Maritime Museum

Museum to host Coastal Community Celebration

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Community News, Cortez.

CORTEZ – The Florida Maritime Museum will host its Coastal Community Celebration on Thursday, June 7 from 6 to 8 p.m.

The after-hours event will be a fun and interactive event for adults and families and themed to coincide with World Oceans Day.

The celebration will feature a ribbon-cutting ceremony and the grand opening of the historic Burton/Bratton Store. Beginning at 6 p.m., museum staff will discuss the history of the store, its role in the history of Cortez and its new role as the Folk School at Florida Maritime Museum.

“The Burton Store is a wonderful piece of Cortez history, and we’re very lucky that we still have it,” museum curator Casey Wooster said.

The celebration will also feature the opening of the “Meaning Behind Maritime” exhibit and the official launch of the Cortez Passport program.

“ ‘Meaning Behind Maritime’ is a wonderful exhibit honoring our 10th anniversary as the Florida Maritime Museum. We’re asking our community and visitors to help us find the meaning behind maritime. We want to hear the voices of our community because maritime means so many different things to so many different people. The definition of the word just means related to the ocean or sea,” Wooster said.

“We asked community members, visitors and volunteers to draw and write on these canvasses and define maritime. They’ve drawn pictures and shared memories and stories, and that’s going to be part of the exhibit. It’ll be a wonderful reflection of the community, and then we’re going to have a fully-interactive activity where you define maritime,” she added.

The Coastal Community Celebration will feature demonstrations on castnetting, lionfish, sea turtles, water pollution, shell identification, water salinity and Pip the Pelican. Scott Blum will provide live music.

The Florida Maritime Museum is located at 4415 119th St. W. at the intersection of Cortez Road and 119th Street West. For more information, call 941-708-6120 Tuesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.