The Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota (ACS) announced yesterday the imminent arrival of a new community-wide celebration, the 2017 Festival of French Music. Running February 12 through March 23 at various venues in Sarasota and Manatee counties and featuring concerts, lectures, exhibits, culinary adventures and theatrical productions, the festival brings together 12 local organizations for a collaboration that came about almost by accident.

“When we were planning the Artist Series Concerts’ 2016-2017 season a year ago, it was with the knowledge that many area residents enjoy the music and culture of France,” says ACS Director of Artistic Programs Joseph Holt, and the organization booked five events through February and March to celebrate French music and visiting French musicians. And when ACS found out that many other local organizations such as Gloria Musicae, Sarasota Opera and Michael’s On East had thematically similar plans, the idea of a community festival came naturally and the invitation for collaboration received warmly. “It was pure serendipity,” Holt says, and participating organizations grew to include the Alliance Française of Sarasota, Sarasota Music Archives, Sarasota Institute of Lifetime Learning (SILL), Selby Gardens and Sarasota Orchestra Friends.

The festival begins February 12 with an ACS performance at Faith Lutheran Church, where visiting French cellist Edgar Moreau will perform works from Poulenc, Beethoven and Brahms with pianist Jessica Xylina Osborne, and does not let up until March 23. Moreau performs again the next day on SILL’s Music Mondays with June LeBell and the festival continues the same day at Selby Gardens with a lecture and lunch with curator Dr. Carol Ockman regarding the Gardens’ upcoming Marc Chagall exhibition, Marc Chagall, Flowers and the French Riviera: The Color of Dreams. February 15 features two free lectures at the Sarasota Opera House, one exploring the street fairs of old Paris with author Charlotte Perret and the other Sarasota Opera’s production of Dialogues of the Carmelites. All told, the festival features more than 20 events, including ongoing events at Sarasota Opera and Michael’s On East.

For a more complete listing, follow the link below and download the ACS brochure. 

2017 Festival of French Music

Roaming the runways at a flight school in Lakeland, FL, a strange aircraft catches the eye of US Navy Pilot Ryan Rankin, with its stunted cockpit sticking out “like a VW bus” from an almost comically slender frame. “But I have this penchant for odd mechanical things,” says Rankin, “and I loved it.” Asking around, he found the plane belonged to a flight instructor and captain with Southwest Airlines named Ricky Rowe. With one more call, Rankin had a flight booked the next day one of the last remaining UC-1 Twin Bees.

A multi-engine amphibious aircraft, the UC-1 Twin Bee is the result of modification on top of modification, tracing its lineage back through the twin-engine Republic Seabee to that aircraft’s single-engine predecessor, the Seabee. As a result, only 23 UC-1 Twin Bees were produced and of those only eight still fly today, making Rankin’s find a fortuitous one. He’s not the first, however.

Not designed for aerobatics, but rather a workhorse to shuttle goods and passengers, Rankin and Rowe took a pleasant cruise out of Winter Haven’s Gilbert Airport near Orlando. No stranger to piloting a multi-engine aircraft, Rankin easily slipped back into the familiar routine. “The biggest thing is asymmetric thrust,” he says. While having multiple engines can provide greater range for the craft, they also open the door to a problematic engine failure. With one engine still running, the plane will not turn into a clumsy glider, but instead continue with an imbalanced propulsion that threatens stability. Part of training on a multi-engine aircraft is learning how to deal with those eventualities.

Thankfully, all engines remained purring throughout the flight, all the way to the water landings. Flying up to a nearby lake, Rankin got to try his hand at keeping the landing gear up and going in for a splashy landing. It’s a trick he’s pulled before on a single-engine craft. “There are different rules and there’s more to consider,” Rankin says. Wind direction, the chop of the waves, water obstructions like boats and crab traps—all must be taken into consideration. As such, Rankin and Rowe make a couple low passes to scope the landing area before swooping back around to touch down on the water. “I wouldn’t say it’s easier,” he says, “but it’s different.”

With an “island feel” to it and a rare look, it’s not surprising that Hollywood picked one up for the Johnny Depp vehicle The Rum Diary. What may be a little more surprising, is that Rankin got to fly the exact same one.

With one month down in his yearlong aviation exploration, Rankin’s spirits remain high after his trip in the UC-1 Twin Bee. “It was some of the most fun flying I’ve ever had,” he says. 

Pictured: Ricky Rowe and Ryan Rankin in front of the UC-1 Twin Bee.

After years of confronting engineering obstacles, workers started drilling a micro-tunnel under the Hudson Bayou. The project needs to be done to connect homes on one side of the bayou with a City of Sarasota lift station being constructed in a park on US 41, and marks a step forward in the relocation of a sewage system facility in the works for more than a decade. 

While prior contractors have left the construction effort after encountering drilling problems in Hudson Bayou, the project manager for the lift station says he’s confident every precaution has been taken to avoid damage to bridges spanning the bayou or to the waterway itself. Crews on Saturday launched a micro-tunnel boring machine from a 30-foot-deep shaft south of the Osprey Bridge and will eventually connect to another shaft under new Lift Station 87. When everything is done, a 36-inch wastewater main will span under the bayou and Luke Wood Park. “In this type of operation, we are constantly watching pressure and lubrication systems—all kinds of indicators,” says Robert Garland, vice president of McKim & Creed, engineer of record for the project. “We don’t expect anything to happen, and we have measures in place in case something does happen." 

Workers will be drilling the tunnel slowly, advancing between 20 and 40 feet per day. Garland says that’s in service of carefully keeping the project on track rather than blasting through work quickly and risking environmental damage or harm to nearby infrastructure. The tunnel will be located only about eight feet below the bottom the Hudson Bayou. As the earth gets removed from the tunnel, a 60-inch diameter steel casing will be put in place in anticipation of the main being installed. “It’s a very methodical process,” he says. 

Oversight will also be constant. “We scheduled this work first to protect the City’s investment and minimize risks,” says Mitt Tidwell, Sarasota utility director. “Our microtunneling expert, Staheli Trenchless, is on site, and we look forward to completing this crucial phase of work.”

The city elected years ago to relocate a lift station in the Hudson Bayou neighborhood after high-profile spills at an aging station. City Commissioner Susan Chapman, who was involved in the early stages of that process as a neighborhood leader before being elected to the commission four years ago, says she feels optimistic about the microtunnelling work that started this Saturday. “I’m hoping it goes well,” she says. “Staheli is the national expert in microtunneling, and they are on site. That gives me confidence.” She also noted the current contractors would use much more powerful drilling machinery, something less likely to be stifled by the rocky bottom in the bayou. 

Spring has has sprung in the Bahamas—so why not embrace the island life here in Sarasota? Tommy Bahama welcomes spring 2017 with an array of new dresses that are perfect for a tropical weekend getaway or simply strolling through St. Armands—because (as the locals like to say) we live where you vacation. Set sail—or dream about it in the nautical navy Thera Stripe T-Shirt Dress. Travelor stay put in the trendy yet practical Chambray All Day Shirt Dress. And at the end of a long workweek, slip into the stunning, comfortable and completely wrinkle resistant Tambour Tank Maxi Dress. 

Photo Courtesy of Tommy Bahama

Tommy Bahama, 140 University Town Center Dr., Sarasota, 941-866-6614, 300 John Ringling Blvd., Sarasota, 941-388-2446.

They're sweet, they're juicy and they're in season now! Fresh strawberries are the star in the strawberry poppy seed salad from Der Dutchman, starting with a bed of spinach and romaine lettuce, topped with marinated chargrilled chicken and fresh strawberries, crowned with feta cheese, honey roasted pecans and tangy poppy seed dressing. It's salty and sweet with just the right amount of crunch. This signature dish from the popular Amish restaurant makes a perfect lunch or light dinner; go ahead and sweeten the deal by getting it delivered from Ashley's Food Delivery. They'll even bring you a slice of fresh strawberry pie made in the Der Dutchman bakery. Order online at AshleysFood.com or download the free Ashley’s Food Delivery app.

Ashley's Food Delivery is a member of Nosh, the SRQ magazine content marketing program for local restaurants. 

Photo courtesy of Ashley's Food Delivery

Ashley's Food Delivery, 2967 Bee Ridge Rd., Sarasota, 941-953-3663.

Bookstore1 is moving from its current site at 1359 Main St. to 12 South Palm Ave. The new location is at the corner of Main and Palm in the historic Orange Blossom Building. The bookstore will be open at 12 South Palm before the end of February. Owner Georgia Court had been seeking the perfect location for about a year and was pleased to find the former gallery in the Orange Blossom Building, which will give Bookstore1 about 50 percent more floor space. Bookstore1 will be closed from the afternoon of February 14 until the 22nd or 23rd while the move is taking place.

Bookstore1

Autumn Senior Living, LLC breaks ground on three new I-Lite Assisted Living and Memory Care communities in Florida, bringing nearly 400 senior residences, over 200 permanent jobs and a combined $100 million in capital investments. Autumn is introducing I-Lite Assisted Living to Brandon, Westchase and Sarasota. Brandon and Westchase build on Autumn of Sarasota Memory Care’s tremendous reputation for care. Autumn continues its commitment to provide residents a safe and secure place to live, surrounded by love. Autumn Memory Care residences were designed in cooperation with the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute, a leader in dementia research. The three communities are expected to be completed in early 2018. 

Autumn Senior Living

Bradenton's Lincoln Middle School Math Teacher Antonio Alves will receive a Governor’s Shine Award from Florida Gov. Rick Scott during a meeting of the Florida Cabinet next Wednesday, February 7. The Governor’s Shine Award recognizes exceptional educators and administrators who make significant contributions to the field of education in Florida. Alves, who has taught at Lincoln Middle since August 2014, is being recognized for being designated a High Impact Teacher. A High Impact Teacher is one who has been determined to have a positive impact on student learning based on the state’s Value Added Means (VAM) measurements. Alves has confirmed that he will attend the Cabinet Meeting next Wednesday.

Manatee Schools