“Can you feel the love?” Kirsten asks. “If not, then come a little closer. I choose to be happy, so take my advice and be a part of what’s going on this weekend. I love you too much to steer you in the wrong direction.”

Eduardo Anaya takes a look back at a social season that gave us great memories, outstanding events and exciting new ventures to look forward to. But just because the tourists are taking off doesn’t mean the locals are shutting down! Check out Eduardo’s list of three must-attend events coming up this week.

The 4th annual Harvey Milk Festival (HMF) is slated to return to downtown Sarasota for three days of music, film and art in celebration of LGBTQ equality. Last year, the festival stole the national spotlight thanks to performances by indie music heavyweights, drawing over 5,000 festival-goers. This year, it promises to be even bigger with film, art and a lineup of nine emerging local and national music acts.

Graffiti-pop artist Clay Olson hopes to leave his colorful, graffiti-speckled mark on Sarasota in preparation for his second solo exhibition, titled “Ride ‘em Indian.” Consisting of 20 new pieces containing a Ben-Day dot-spin on iconic Native Americans such as Sitting Bull and Old West gunslingers such as Doc Holiday, the collection was inspired by Olson’s fascination with facial expressions, particularly within the Native American culture. “I love to work with Indian faces because they contain such strong emotion. It’s hard to resist being pulled into the history behind each piece,” Olson states. “And [...]

It’s interesting how one drip, one leak of the right story can unleash a flash flood over Facebook, causing the media to stir, petitions to circulate and the public to cry out. Who would have thought a social media outlet could scoop the traditional news sources, releasing a story about an inconspicuous “special events” meeting called to discuss the future of activities in Sarasota’s downtown core, including Five Points Park? But on to the real question: What’s so special about such a nondescript meeting? Several concerned citizens such as Greg [...]

The Special Meeting of the Sarasota City Commission meeting scheduled for May 24, 2012 to discuss zoning enclaves and special events has been rescheduled for Wednesday, June 6, 2012 at City Hall at 3 p.m. According to a press release signed by Public Information Officer Jan Thornburg, the meeting’s discussion “will center on developing a mutually agreeable special events plan for downtown merchants, residents and the City.” The release further states, “The city commission has no intention of banning special events in Selby Five Points Park.” Still, the question remains: [...]