40 Years of Sarasota: Special Anniversary Edition

People, places and milestones. People, places and milestones.

In this issue:

Arts & Entertainment

Only in Sarasota

Only in Sarasota: Bahi Hut

The Bahi Hut lounge on North Tamiami Trail is a cultural landmark of Sarasota’s history, dating back to 1954.

02/28/2019 Illustrations by John Pirman

Global Game

Victory Rock's Athletes Travel Across the World for Their Basketball Dreams

A former warehouse deep in an industrial park off U.S. 301 in north Sarasota has become a veritable United Nations of basketball.

02/28/2019 By David Hackett

Just Say Yes

We Tried It: FST's Improv Workshop

“Anatomy of the Story” is a class taught by two members of the Austin-based improv comedy troupe Available Cupholders.

02/28/2019 By Isaac Eger

A Night at the Opera

Sarasota’s Own Adelaide Boedecker Makes Her Sarasota Opera Professional Debut This Month

Boedecker became involved with the Sarasota Youth Opera the summer after second grade and says, “I fell in love with it."

02/28/2019 By Kay Kipling

40th Anniversary

40 Years of Limelight Photos

This town has always known how to throw a party—and photographer Rebecca Baxter was there to capture the most important moments.

02/27/2019 Photography by Rebecca Baxter

Home of the Braves

The Atlanta Braves' New Spring Training Facility Opens March 24

The Braves, who have relocated from their 20-year home at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando, will play their final spring training game of 2019 at Cool Today Park against the Tampa Bay Rays.

02/27/2019 By Ilene Denton

40th Anniversary

The Best of Mr. Chatterbox: Hanging Out With the Art Crowd in 1991

When the local arts crowd gets together, the atmosphere is redolent with famous names, serious politics, and lots and lots of money.

02/26/2019 By Robert Plunket

40th Anniversary

The Best of Mr. Chatterbox: Fame and Fortune on the Book-Tour Circuit

Mr. Chatterbox reflects on the success of his book, Love Junkie, in October 1992.

02/26/2019 By Robert Plunket

Mr. Chatterbox

Eight Sarasotans Who Shaped Our Past

The secret lives only Mr. Chatterbox knows.

02/25/2019 By Robert Plunket

Eat & Drink

Supermarket Sweep

A Roundup of Alternative Grocery Stores and Best Buys

Our selection of food stores has exploded in recent years. Here are some of our favorite finds at six of our go-to grocery stops.

02/28/2019 By Cooper Levey-Baker

Restaurant Review

Grove Serves Up Good Food and Good Times in Lakewood Ranch

After Polo Grill closed last April, Hugh Miller and Greg Campbell, the partners behind Bradenton’s Pier 22, took over the space and gutted the building.

02/28/2019 By Cooper Levey-Baker

40th Anniversary

Our First Restaurant Review Reminds Us That This Town Has Always Loved Italian Food

In November 1991, Sally Fine reviewed Bella Roma, Cafe Baci and Cafe Beneva—and discussed the "pleasures and perils" of Sarasota dining.

02/26/2019 By Sally Fine

Fashion & Shopping

Trend Report

Let Pantone's Color of the Year Brighten Your Life

Living Coral is hot, hot, hot.

02/28/2019 By Megan McDonald

Through the Years

Big Hair, Neon and More: 40 Years of Fashion

Let's take a (sometimes cringey) walk down memory lane.

02/26/2019 By Staff

Home & Real Estate

Uptown Downtown

A Surge of New $2-Million-Plus Condos Lifts the Sarasota Real Estate Market

A string of ultra-luxury condominium projects are filling in the downtown Sarasota skyline: Auteur, Blvd, Epoch, the Ritz-Carlton Residences at the Quay and, completed last season, 624 Palm.

02/28/2019 By Ilene Denton

40th Anniversary

Remember When You Could Buy a Siesta Key Penthouse for $219,000?

Our Homes 200 advertising section premiered in 1981, showcasing homes for sale at $200,000 and up (“the loftier price brackets,” explained our publisher).

02/26/2019 By Staff

News & City Life

Picture This

A Day in the Life of Sarasota

Photographers Jenny Acheson, Everett Dennison, Chris Lake, Brad McCourtney and Chad Spencer span the region to capture the things people do and the places they go, from sunrise to moonrise.

02/28/2019 Photography by Jenny Acheson, Everett Dennison, Chris Lake, Brad McCourtney, and Chad Spencer

What I've Learned

Builder Tom Jackson on Sarasota's Changing Landscape

Today, Jackson lives near downtown and relishes what Sarasota has become—a vibrant, walkable culture center teeming with amenities.

02/28/2019 By David Hackett

Bang the Gavel

New Florida Senate President Bill Galvano Outlines His 2019 Priorities

Galvano, a Bradenton attorney and Republican first elected to the state Senate in 2012, was sworn in as Senate president last fall, making him one of the three most powerful officials in state government until he steps down in 2020.

02/27/2019 By Cooper Levey-Baker

40th Anniversary

The Best of Mr. Chatterbox: Mr. C. Breaks Major Political News, Pontificates on Art, and Attends Every Party He Gets Invited to and Quite a Few He Doesn’t

November 1986 was a busy month for Mr. C.

02/26/2019 By Robert Plunket

40th Anniversary

The Best of Mr. Chatterbox: A Night In the Life of Sarasota

There are eight million stories in the Naked City. Fortunately for us all, Mr. Chatterbox could only find about seven in Sarasota. Here they are. It’s Saturday, Feb. 7, 1987…

02/26/2019 By Robert Plunket

Picture This

A Day in the Life of Sarasota

Photographers Jenny Acheson, Everett Dennison, Chris Lake, Brad McCourtney and Chad Spencer span the region to capture the things people do and the places they go, from sunrise to moonrise.

02/26/2019 Photography by Jenny Acheson, Everett Dennison, Chris Lake, Brad McCourtney, and Chad Spencer