On behalf of myself and the rest of the team at This Week in Sarasota, I am excited to announce that I have joined up with the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art to provide exclusive, behind-the-scenes coverage of the 2012 Ringling International Arts Festival (RIAF). In my role as official blogger for the fourth annual RIAF, I will keep my finger on the pulse of the festival during the months leading up to it through interviews with organizers and artists, behind-the-scenes peeks at festival preparations and in-depth commentary on [...]

I have come to my last installment in my four-part series on learning how to cook vegan dishes. For my final lesson, Vicki Chelf, local vegan chef and author of the book Vicki’s Vegan Kitchen:  Learning to Cook with Sanity, Compassion, and Taste visited my kitchen. She basically approved of the set-up but suggested eliminating some of the clutter. This led me to ponder: Why do kitchens become repositories for mail? (But then I realized I had improved dramatically from my first apartment in Manhattan, where I used one of my kitchen [...]

Yet another public debate is taking place where a degree in Early Childhood Education would be more useful than a Masters in Public Administration. The strong mayor-or-manager question is incredibly important, but one that is already mired in antics rather than substance. So SRiQ is taking a different approach. Clearly, each form of local government has its merits and drawbacks. So we decided to step back and look at what’s happening. What’s the Difference? – Small towns and really big cities usually have mayors, while middle-sized cities and counties have a [...]

One afternoon I got a call from Men’s Health Magazine wanting to interview me about living in Sarasota. It seems Men’s Health had gotten word that Sarasota was a pretty active community, and for some reason they thought I was the right guy to talk about it. Of course I was thrilled because 1) I’m an attention whore, and 2) Men’s Health obviously thought I had a six-pack (I don’t) because I work out all the time (I don’t) and I was the fittest man in Sarasota (I’m not). After the [...]

Jake’s Tavern – Five Star Pizza Grand Opening Party – T.W.G.S / Roots for Change / UndertowClick here for the Facebook Event  Gilligan’s SCP Beer Pong Tourney https://www.facebook.com/events/323551967736521/ Throb Night Club Masquerade Partyhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Throb-Nightclub/136561316395285Selby Gardens Bus Tour IN/FORMED by Land: The Architecture of Carl Abbotthttps://www.facebook.com/selbygardenshttps://www.facebook.com/events/263982587036325/Blu Que-Reggae Nights with Democracyhttps://www.facebook.com/BluQueIslandGrillhttps://www.facebook.com/events/384019678319238/

Illustrator Nick Sirotich is nervous and exhausted, but excited overall. He just hopes that everything doesn’t explode. Sirotich’s first solo show opens at Clothesline Gallery this Saturday, and since Sirotich doesn’t settle for just hanging prints on a wall, getting ready for the show has been a huge process. “It’s bigger than anything I’ve taken on on my own,” Sirotich says. The upcoming show will feature high-quality framed prints, original drawing, and never-before-seen paintings in acrylic and gouache on wood and an envelope. Sirotich has also undertaken the painting of a [...]