Manatee Spotlight October 7, 2012

Cars: A Standard Flower Show

What do flowers and cars have in common? The Manatee River Garden Club will be hosting a Standard Flower Show with the theme this year of CARS. Beginning on Friday, October 19 from 1 – 4 p.m. beautiful floral designs, horticulture entries and special exhibits can be viewed at 3120 First Avenue West, Bradenton, FL 34280. As an extra treat, MRGC will host a car show on Saturday, October 20 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. After you have viewed the “petals” inside the clubhouse, come view the car “pedals” outside.

Violets and Volkswagens

Daisies and Dodges

Ferns and Fords

Junipers and Jaquars

Forty eight floral designs will compete in 12 classes for the National Garden Club top awards:

• Designer’s Choice Award: best design using any kind of plant material
• Tricolor Award: best design using all fresh plant material
• Petite Award: best miniature or small design
• Table Artistry Award: best table design
• Design Excellence Award: highest scoring exhibit in entire design division

One of the Design sections is devoted to the iconic Chevrolet Corvette and will feature class titles Chrome & Fins, Speed, and Go for the Gold.

In the horticulture division, the 7 competitive sections include succulents, cacti, bromeliads, container grown foliage and flowering plants, ferns, orchids, and cut branches from shrubs. Three classes for combination plantings are also included, for which garden club members have been challenged to create a planter using a car part.

Special exhibits will compete in the following categories:

• Educational – several will deal with our Florida Wild Flower License Plate Program and the Blue Star Memorial Markers

• Artistic – featuring specialty license plates and wheel covers decorated with plant materials

• Youth horticulture – entries from Williams Elementary School and Palmetto High School

Vote for your favorite classic car outside while listening to music from the 50’s and 60’s. A small lunch is available for sale on Saturday. This show is open to the public free of charge – just come and cruise Florida plants and cars at your leisure. For more information call Parke Finold at (941) 794-6402.

WSLR Fifth Annual Beach Bash Sunday, October 14

School Art In Pride Park

Keep Manatee Beautiful in partnership with the Manatee County Sheriff's Office Crime Prevention Unit, Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, the School District of Manatee County and the Southeast Residents Association is implementing that last part of its 2011-2012 Keep America Beautiful Graffiti Hurts Grant of $2,500, plus a grant match from Keep Manatee Beautiful of $2,500.  They’ve teamed up to do School Art In Pride Park.  Teachers and their student artists from five public schools in the Pride Park and Ten Oaks neighborhoods have designed art concepts of what their neighborhood means to them.  Their goal is to beautify their neighborhood, so as to develop pride and sense of place reflective of their overall community’s quality of life.  

Participating schools are Abel Elementary School, Daughtrey Elementary School, Oneco Elementary School, Harllee Middle School and Southeast High School.  Gift certificates to restaurants and shops, plus a pizza party will  be given to participating teachers and their student artists. 

Daughtrey Elementary School, Oneco Elementary School and Harllee Middle School will be painting their concepts on the graffiti-plagued white fence that runs parallel to 9^th Street East in between just north of 63^rd Avenue East this Saturday on October 6th.

The other schools will work to complete their art concepts on this white fence by National Night Out in Pride Park, an event scheduled for October 19^th to reinforce confidence and promote ownership of their neighborhoods. 

Other partners include the Manatee County Utilities Dept. Solid Waste-Recycling Section who donated 45 gallons of the paint that was collected at the landfill.  Faith Bradburn Keller, an award winning artist and graduate of Ringling College of Art and Design, painted last weekend abstract waves on every other section of this white fence to connect each school’s art concepts.

Other activities done with this 2011-2012 Keep America Beautiful Graffiti Hurts Grant have been:

•  Purchasing painting supplies for graffiti paint-out days and community paintbrush murals that are rarely defaced by graffiti and instill a sense of pride among those who live nearby.
• Coordinating a Graffiti Hurts Poster Contest and displaying the poster art on bus bench backs near the participating schools.
• Purchasing water-wise trees across the street from this graffiti-plagued white fence.
• Purchasing supplies to educate youth gang members about a more productive lifestyle.
• Coordinating with community leaders to encourage their Neighborhood Watch Program and Intelligence submissions that play a critical role in fighting drugs.

Artist Raises Money For Manatee Habitat

Manatee Habitat ReStore on Cortez will feature artist Joneen Nielsen as the October “Artist in the Foyer.”   Nielsen’s unique furniture and artwork is currently on display at the Habitat ReStore located at 4105 Cortez Road W, Bradenton.   A special artist demonstration of painted furniture is scheduled for Saturday, October 13^th from 11am-1pm.   

Proceeds from the sale of art benefits Manatee County Habitat for Humanity.   Nielsen has exhibited internationally in London and Scotland and has had work on exhibit in California and Florida.   Her most recent project is a mural at the Children’s Treatment Center at Manatee Glens.  

The Manatee Habitat ReStore on Cortez is a boutique resale shop offering clothing, books, furniture and home décor item and is open Monday-Saturday from 9am-5pm.  The store is located at 4105 Cortez Road West.  For more information call 748-9100.

Just in time for Halloween, Get Ready for a Scare at the Powel Crosley Estate

The House of Horrors – 13 Rooms of Gothic Gore

Explore the ghastly and ghoulish as the Crosley Estate Foundation presents the House of Horrors, based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe.  

Revelers will have the opportunity to tour thirteen rooms of Gothic gore, creep through the Crosley Cemetery and squirm through terrifying performances as the Master of the Macabre himself recounts his hauntingly horrible tales in the Coffinbox Theater. You’ll want to take the time to enjoy poisons and potions as well as a few snacks to nourish your courage as a cast of spooks and spirits accompany you through the nightmares and dreams of this horrible haunt located on the grounds of the Powel Crosley Estate.

Manatee County Animal Services offers Trick or Treat Specials throughout October

Manatee County Animal Services is offering “Trick or Treat” specials for the month of October. Our pets will do Tricks for Treats.

We have wonderful fur-kids who would love to go home.  Stop by the shelter or adoption center and find your fur-ever friend today! All animals adopted will receive a health check, be spayed/neutered, vaccinated including rabies, microchipped and a license certificate/tag.

 Animal Services Chief Kris Weiskopf says “Help us help the animals by adopting today; every animal deserves a second chance at a good life.”

This adoption special is another step in the County’s plan to become a no-kill community.  Please help up save lives today!  

The special is available at both Animal Services locations: in Palmetto, 305 25th St. W. (open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and in Bradenton, 1002 B., Manatee Ave. W., (open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.). Preview available animals by visiting www.mymanatee.org/pets  For more information, call (941) 742-5933.