Starting on June 10th and running through August 13th, the Summer Circus Spectacular will return to Sarasota, this time in the Historic Asolo Theatre. The Summer Circus Spectacular marks the continuation of a partnership between the Circus Arts Conservatory and The Ringling in what is a celebration of Sarasota’s rich history as a circus town and a look forward to the future of the circus.

“When my wife and I founded Circus Sarasota in 1997 (later rebranded to Circus Arts Conservatory), we wanted to revive and build upon the city’s legacy as the circus capital of the world,” says Pedro Reis, the Founder President and CEO of the Circus Arts Conservatory.

This summer, the non-for-profit is achieving that goal through their annual Summer Circus Spectacular, which will feature renowned acts from around the world. “I pick the acts for being one of a kind and for representing the circus arts at the highest level. The process starts about a year in advance, sometimes a little bit later. First thing I do is look at the video links of the artists that are sent to me - a lot of the acts are recommended to me by other artists and sometimes agents that will send me acts,” attests Reis.

Headlining the hour-long show, are acts of various disciplines, all with markedly different backgrounds. Heidi Herriot, a third-generation American circus artist will be the master of ceremonies. Abrehem Molla, who hails from Ethiopia, will be performing on the Rolla Bolla. Cuban-American contortionist, Ricardo Sosa, will perform his hand-balance contortion act and Olga Corona and Holly Legare will perform on the Duo Lyra, in a fusion of dance and aerial acrobatics. Chris Allison, who studied at The Ringling Clown College, will bring the comedy and Seida Maite Ramírez Lobaina and Julio Fajardo Arjona will close out the show with their Hand Balance Adagio act, Dust in the Wind.

Ringling Box Office: (941) 360-7399. Show times are 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, and 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturdays. Tickets are $18/adults, $12/children 12 and under.
Historic Asolo Theatre at The Ringling (5401 Bay Shore Rd., Sarasota). 

Pictured: Olga Coronas and Holly Legare performing on the duo lyra. Photo courtesy of Circus Sarasota.

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Possessed by an open book personality myself, I truly appreciated Martha Wainwright’s Stories I Might Regret Telling You. There’s a titillating extra enjoyment in being a voyeur to Martha’s bohemian upbringing and party animal lifestyle. Yet Martha tempers the wild and crazy with the sobering anecdotes of being a child of two songwriting legends as well as being a woman stuck in the shadows of a more famous older brother. Martha chronicles her former education and college missteps with her slow realization that she, too, was meant to write and sing. Her passionate family’s highs, lows and tough criticisms were the rocky sea on which Martha sailed. A meditative Patty Smith-like writing voice provided an intimacy akin to growing up alongside Martha. Her recounting of difficult childbirth which paralleled her mother’s cancer was deeply suspenseful and moving. I highly recommend this memoir on sale now.

Stories I Might Regret Telling You by Martha Wainwright is available at BookStore1 Sarasota 117 S. Pineapple Ave. Sarasota. or at their online store www.sarasotabooks.com. Published March 2022. ISBN: 9780306924682. 

The Players Centre for Performing Arts presents the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning play Rabbit Hole at Studio 1130 located in the Crossings at Siesta Key mall (3501 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota) June 8-19, 2022. In 2020, at the top of the pandemic Rabbit Hole was slated to run in the Backstage at The Players series under the direction of veteran of the Sarasota stage, Helen Holliday. Unfortunately, the show opened and closed the same day due to the onslaught of Covid-19. The Players Centre is happy to finally produce this wonderful work. Holliday sadly passed away earlier this year. Holliday was a director of many past productions of The Players Centre, appearing in productions herself, and in many across the city from Manatee Performing Arts Center to the Golden Apple Dinner Theatre. This production is dedicated to her memory. 

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Pulte Homes continues to enhance the lifestyle experience for residents of its Edgewater and Edgewater Shores neighborhoods in Babcock Ranch with two new distinctive private lakefront amenity centers. One of the nation’s most recognized and trusted brands in homebuilding for 70 years, Pulte Homes has completed amenities for Edgewater and recently commenced construction of its sister neighborhood amenity campus in Edgewater Shores. Nestled along the shores of two expansive lakes including Lake Timber, the recently opened Edgewater amenity center offers a heated swimming pool, chaises and umbrellas and a fire pit lounge. It also has a pool cabana for shaded seating, barbecue grills and connects with the extensive hiking, biking, and walking trails at Babcock Ranch. Created for families of all sizes and empty nesters alike, the neighborhoods’ well-appointed homes offer 1,405 to 3,600 square feet of living space, two to five bedrooms, up to five full bathrooms and two- or three-car garages with generous storage space. New homes in Edgewater Shores are available from under $500,000 to $700,000 and combine Pulte’s signature quality construction and consumer-first designs. The model homes are open daily: Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday noon to 6 p.m. For more information, visit the Edgewater sales center at 42403 Edgewater Drive, online at www.EdgewaterBabcock.com, or by calling or texting 941-307-7348. Babcock Ranch is located just northeast of Fort Myers off Babcock Ranch Road/State Road 31. 

Pictured: Edgewater Shores Amenity Center.

The law firm Bentley Goodrich Kison is pleased to announce that attorney David A. Wallace was recently given the Judge John M. Scheb Professionalism Award by the Judge John M. Scheb American Inn of Court. The award is given annually to a Sarasota County attorney who exemplifies professionalism in his or her day-to-day practice and who contributes their time and talents to the overall cause of professionalism within Sarasota’s legal community. Nominations are sought from community members, and nominees can be Inn members or non-members. The recipient is selected by secret ballot of the Masters of the Inn. Wallace, a member of the Judge John M. Scheb American Inn of Court, is a board-certified specialist in appellate law and a Florida certified mediator. His practice includes appeals and civil litigation in state and federal courts. He has successfully obtained appellate relief through appeals of final orders and interlocutory appeals as well as petitions for extraordinary relief. Managing partner Morgan R. Bentley stated, “David is the epitome of professionalism. While aggressively advocating on his clients’ behalf, David manages to be held in the highest esteem by his colleagues, judges and opposing counsel alike. Getting this award from your peers just makes it more special.” 

With the support of a Wells Fargo grant, the Education Foundation of Sarasota County launched Financial Awareness Week at four area high schools and conducted two Dollars and Sense workshops at Sarasota Military Academy. April is Financial Literacy Awareness Month, and beginning on Monday, April 18, the Education Foundation launched a week-long awareness campaign that helped students increase their financial literacy. Activities were held at Education Foundation Student Success Centers at North Port High School, Riverview High School, Sarasota High School, and Suncoast Polytechnical High School. Students completed daily trivia questions, quizzes, interactive financial literacy games, and budgeting sheets that tested their ability to earn, spend, save, and budget. College Career Advisors shared strategies for saving for college and planning for life after high school. Throughout the week, 223 students visited Student Success Centers at these four high schools. They gained insight into many elements of financial literacy through fun, interactive activities.

On May 3, at Sarasota Military Academy, the Education Foundation also conducted two Dollars and Sense workshops, attended by a total of 107 students from grades 9 through 12. These workshops are designed to increase financial literacy through interactive lessons and real-world activities that incorporate topics such as personal finance, family expenses, budgeting, loans, debt, credit scores, mortgage, checking and savings accounts, wants vs. needs, financial health, and more. Sarasota Military Academy students explored six components of financial literacy (earning spending, saving, investing, borrowing, and protecting); they learned how to budget, save, and plan. Through group and individual activities and exercises, students built their financial knowledge. An increased understanding of financial literacy is essential in preparing high school students for life after graduation. Thanks to the generous support of Wells Fargo, the Education Foundation of Sarasota County has had this opportunity to raise awareness and knowledge of personal finance and the steps students can take to begin their journey after high school on stronger financial footing. 

Resilient Retreat joins three other regional nonprofits on a special initiative to build organizational capacity, boost revenue, and strengthen mission impact. Part of The Patterson Foundation’s Nonprofit Thrivability Initiative, Margin & Mission Ignition provides nonprofits fresh perspectives for development along with the resources needed to innovate and launch earned-income strategies. The goal is to enhance, grow, and sustain nonprofit operations and their value in the community. The result of this remarkable partnership is Thrive Events, Inc. This new initiative will focus on rental of the picturesque 84-acre Retreat Center on Fruitville Road for weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, corporate retreats, and milestone celebrations such as anniversaries and birthdays. Thrive Events provides a unique venue and the satisfaction of knowing every rental is contributing new resources for positive social impacts. Resilient Retreat began its new journey with Margin & Mission Ignition with a series of learning labs before opting into the 30-month process to develop and implement new revenue-generating initiatives. The cohort of four regional nonprofits will convene periodically to learn and share experiences. Resilient Retreat welcomes the opportunity to participate in the Margin & Mission Ignition endeavor, understanding that building fiscal strength also means increased organizational capacity, stability and with it, more power to deliver the mission.