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The City is teaming up with a group of community partners to help revive a Newtown holiday tradition and add a fresh twist this weekend.
The Newtown Spring Festival will take place this Sunday, April 17, from 1-5 p.m. at our Robert L. Taylor Community Complex. The free, family-friendly event was inspired by the historic Newtown Easter Parade, which originated in the 1960s and was an annual neighborhood tradition for more than 30 years.
 The new festival will feature live music, local gospel choirs, dance performances, food trucks and vendors. And, most egg-citing of all, there will be a huge egg hunt for kids! Our friends at the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation have generously donated more than 5,000 toy-filled eggs for the hunt, which kicks off at 3 p.m.
Registration for the egg hunt starts at 1 p.m. when the festival begins. Kids will be organized into age groups to participate (4 and under, 5-7 years old and 8-12 years old).
We appreciate the collaboration with several community members and organizations who helped make this event possible. Gwendalyn Fleetwood, Shantel Norman and Walter Gilbert took the lead in organizing, and members of Newtown Alive, the Newtown Nation, the Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition, volunteers from the Amaryllis Park Neighborhood Association and various City staff are donating their time and talents to launch what we hope becomes a new tradition for the Newtown community and beyond. See you there!
With the initial rollout of Veo scooters and bicycles now complete, we’re seeing significant interest in this micro-mobility option to travel short distances quickly and efficiently while leaving the car behind. In just over four weeks, 6,800 trips have been taken and 11,700 miles logged!
As we acclimate to these vehicles becoming part of our everyday travels around the city, we’d like to provide a few reminders regarding the basic rules of ridership.
Please note that in Florida, scooters are regulated like bicycles.
- Scooters must yield to pedestrians
- Ride with and in the same direction as traffic
- Ride in a bike lane or an active vehicle lane, if the speed limit is less than 30 mph
- Park in designated spots identified on the Veo app
- Avoid "no ride" zones
- Don’t lend your rental vehicle to family or friends
Scooter riders are strongly encouraged to stay off sidewalks.
A rider who leaves a scooter outside the operating area could be assessed an additional fee by Veo. Our Parking and Mobility staff are coordinating closely with Veo field representatives to quickly address vehicles left in inappropriate locations. For concerns, please contact Veo at 855-VEO-2256.
FAQs about the program are available here.
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Have you strolled around Burns Square recently? There’s even more to see and enjoy in this special historic neighborhood right now with eye-catching, Sarasota-themed images painted on several sidewalks.
Avenue of Art is a Chalk Festival event, and many professional artists who participated in the recent festival in Venice traveled to Burns Square to share their amazing talent with the Sarasota community by painting a portion of a sidewalk.
The artists wrapped up their work last weekend, and now colorful displays depicting wildlife scenes, spring training baseball, historical figures and more are available for public viewing at no cost. Look for the artwork on S. Pineapple Avenue between Laurel and Dolphin Streets and along S. Orange Avenue. City Manager Marlon Brown extended the special permit for the event, and the images will remain on the sidewalks until the paint starts to significantly fade or deteriorate. So, head to Burns Square and enjoy the wonders of this uniquely Sarasota art installation before rainy season begins!
Learn more about Avenue of Art and the individual art pieces at https://avenue-of-art.chalkfestival.org/
We are looking forward to celebrating Arbor Day once again after putting the festivities on pause the past couple of years. This year we’re back with something everyone can enjoy: a self-guided eco tour at North Water Tower Park followed by a traditional tree planting ceremony.
Certified arborists will be on hand to discuss all things tree-related in the park including species, scientific and common names, size and more.
The event starts at 9 a.m. Friday, April 29 at North Water Tower Park, 4700 Rilma Ave., with the tree planting scheduled for 11 a.m. Don't be late! A free Florida-friendly sapling will be given to the first 20 individuals.
We love our trees in Sarasota, and our commitment to maintaining and expanding a healthy tree canopy has been recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation for over 35 years with a Tree City USA award. Congratulations to all – and we hope to see you at at our Arbor Day celebration!
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As of April 8, 2022, the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall has modified its audience safety protocols to masks strongly recommended. Safety protocols are subject to change and may vary by show. To stay up to date on all safety information, please visit VanWezel.org/Safety
Did you know that on Jan. 5, 1970, the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall opened with Fiddler on the Roof? Now, more than 50 years later, an all-new version of Fiddler on the Roof is closing out the 2021-2022 Broadway series. Tony-winning director Bartlett Sher brings his fresh take on this beloved masterpiece direct from Broadway. A wonderful cast and a lavish orchestra tell this heartwarming story of fathers and daughters, husbands and wives and the timeless traditions that define faith and family. Catch this timeless classic April 19-21 at 7:30 p.m.
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Are you ready for a brand new beat? Don’t miss Motown with a Twist — a new twist on classic Motown! It's a sparkling, electrifying night of the Motor City's most famous hit songs, featuring celebrity pros Keo Motsepe and Anna Trebunskaya from Dancing with the Stars performing with finalists from So You Think You Can Dance, as well as vocals by finalists from American Idol, The Voice and America's Got Talent. This family-friendly night features songs from Diana Ross & The Supremes, Smokey Robinson, The Jackson 5 and everything in between. Twist and shout to Motown with a Twist on April 26 at 8 p.m.
For more information, visit VanWezel.org Hope to see you at the Van Wezel soon!
Giving back to the community is at the core of what we do here at the City of Sarasota. Whether it’s helping citizens in their day-to-day jobs as public servants or contributing to worthy causes in their spare time, our City employees are a generous group.
That same spirit of volunteerism was evident last week when a dozen employees gathered to help out Mothers Helping Mothers, a Sarasota nonprofit that provides basic necessities such as clothing and baby items free of charge for area families. The all-volunteer organization operates a store where mothers can “shop” for these items at no cost.
Last Friday, a team made up of employees from various City departments spent time organizing donated clothing and home goods, welcoming customers to the store and helping them with their purchases.
This is the second year the City has partnered with the United Way Suncoast during its annual Week of Caring to assist Mothers Helping Mothers. We’re proud to give back and strengthen the community we call home.
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