Beach goers settle in for a New Years Eve dinner with candles and a full course meal at the beach

Locals ring out the old at Siesta Key Beach New Years Eve for the last sunset of the year.

Beach goers settle in for a New Years Eve dinner with candles and a full course meal at the beach.

This surprise kiss in NYC at the end of WW II symbolized the joy that the war was finally over. Now Sarasota's bay front is graced with this larger than life statue towering around 30 feet tall.

A speed boat cruises the Gulf of Mexico off Sarasota over the weekend.

To be repeatedly amazed at each and every sunset along the Gulf of Mexico is a gift beyond treasures. This gift arrived Friday evening.

Two teenagers head of to the gulf to wash off from a shaving cream fight Sunday.

It's Christmas in October in Sarasota as at least one resident lights up their outside Christmas tree.

The Sarasota Quay goes from one of the hottest night spots to dilapidated signs.

Sarasota Bay front pillars are the entry way to Island Park.

Eat your heart out it's a 1956 T-Bird on a Sarasota car lot.

One of Sarasota's treasures the Ca da Zan  punches out against the bright blue sky.

Geier's celebrates it's 21'st Ockoberfest this weekend. Missing are the 70 year old twin gymnasts from last year.

Freedom Boat Club had to move it's facilities at Stickney Point Rd because a pregnant woman fell thru the rotten docks. Two months later we still didn't see any repairs being done.

OurTownMatch.com  a local social group danced the night away at the Sarasota Hyatt. With over 1000 members the group is the largest social group in this area. The group has over 50 social events a year.

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Angry surf compounded with high winds stir up the waters off of Siesta Key Beach. The surf has been too rough with strong rip tides.

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Area youngsters took advantage of the water park at the Sadler YMCA over the weekend to chill out and have fun.

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The ladies in the 1st Annual Bachelorett's Ball and Auction are presented at the Preview Pool Party at the Sarasota Hyatt. The Ball and Auction are September 24th.

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You can wait years to get get a Bird of Paradise flower from your new plant. This plant took three years to sprout this  flower.

Morton's will host the Fire Fighters Chili Cookoff in October for the 6th year.

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Friends and media gather to preview the opening of Saxes Jazz Club on Palm Avenue in Sarasota. The new club is scheduled to open in early September.

It was hot enough yesterday to fry an egg on the street. The heat index hit 112 at the OurTown50 weather station Friday near Sarasota Square Mall.

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It's back to Happy Days at Arnold's. We couldn't resist this 50's restaurant in NC on the Our Town 50 tour.

The Our Town 50 Tour took us through Turkey, North Carolina. And yes they do raise turkeys there. We aren't sure if they are humans or fowl. It seems they raise turkeys in all 50 states.

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Fireworks lit the sky on virtually every beach in S.W. Florida. This fireworks display was from Siesta Key Beach put on by the Siesta Chamber of Commerce.

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Congresswoman Katherine Harris is presented a book written by  Isabella Becking, the 7-year-old author of "Under One Sun,"

Isabella's father, Technical Sgt. Fred Becking, is currently serving in the U.S. Air Force Reserves in the United Arab Emirates, and he is slated to complete his service in January 2006. Isabella wrote the book as a tribute to her father two years ago while he was stationed in Germany.
 

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Lido Beach never looked so good as taken at 800 feet above over the weekend.

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The past few days have been bright and sunny. This picture was shot from around 800 feet looking NW over the gulf near Big Pass. Today should be around 88 degrees. The Our Town 50 weather station has recorded around 8 and a half inches of rain so far this month. Other areas have reported more. The OT50 weather station is located near Sarasota Square Mall. The northern part of the county has received 2-4 inches more rain.

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Swimmers enjoy the warm gulf, 88 degrees on Saturday evening. A shark attack Saturday ruined swimming for panhandle swimmers and killed a 14 year old girl when a shark bit off her leg.

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The sunsets have been incredible with fiery skies. This photo was taken last evening at Siesta Key Beach.

Sarasota may have celebrated their 100th anniversary a few years ago but Greenwich, CT is about to celebrate their 400th anniversary in 2040. Photo from the Our Town 50 New York metro tour in June, 2005.

Ms. Tall International was at the Singles Expo at the Hyatt Convention Center last evening.

Dancer's of all ages converge on Nokomis Beach to celebrate the sunset on Saturday evenings.

Others danced with swords on their heads. If you look carefully you can see the sword being balanced on the woman's head as the young girl looks on in amazement.

Life is a celebration and these two women celebrate with a dance at Siesta Key Beach just before a sunset over the weekend.5/05

Give Hunger the Blues raised over $80,000 at the Hillview Ave music street fest organized by the 5 OClock Club. 4/05

You may get your re-roof started but try and get it finished. Roofers are so busy with new construction and fixing hurricane damaged roofs that homeowners wait months to have a job completed. 4/05

This Sarasota company is soliciting for mortgage investors after a Bradenton mortgage company lost $17miln of investors money.

* Bill Corso, one of Booker High VPA teacher Don Rainone's art students from the

Bill Corso doing make up and hair for his wife who is a model.

80s, won an Academy Award for best make up design last night, from "Lemony Snicket's a Series of Unfortunate Events,". He has been working for Jim Carey for the last five years.

Molly with her flag handkerchief around her neck chills out looking for lizards.

Colorful kites played in the wind Monday with gusts around 20 MPH.

Sunset at Siesta Key Beach Saturday evening. Sunset is running around 6:20PM and getting later all the time.

The beach was a popular place before sunset. A chilly :) breeze called for a jacket or sweater.

Area residents, snowbirds and those playing hooky took advantage of Sarasota County's Brown Bag Concert Series Thursday at Phillippi Estate.

U.S. 41 on Friday afternoon when school got out by Phillippi School. Traffic has to slow down to 15 MPH when school starts and lets out. You can see downtown Sarasota in the background. 

It's a bird, it's a plane, no it's two yahoo's flying over Siesta Key Beach with their noisy machines.

Even macaws like to go to the beach. These two buddies talked their owner into taking them to Siesta Key for the day. Their wings are clipped so they can glide but not lift. 1/05

Ready set start your engines.....wait it's another red light on U.S. 41. Two out of the three cars on the starting line are tourists. It's not even high season and they be here:) 1/05

A sign of the times is a steady stream of roofing delivery trucks headed to Charlotte County and then back to Sarasota County to refill with roofing materials for many of the roofs that still haven't been replaced from this summer's hurricanes. 1/05

Mile after mile garbage was strewn along the roadway. It was like a trip back in time to the Panhandle. Instead all of this garbage is lined up in Charlotte and DeSoto County four months after  the hurricanes hit. 1.05

Our town has many birds and animals. Above is a spotted hawk beginning to take flight.  Our photographer shot the hawk near Sarasota Square Mall. * Paul Newman's race car catches fire in Daytona. The 79 year old actor was not hurt. 1.05

* Columbo's coming to town, hopefully with his rumpled up rain coat for the Sarasota Film Fest.
For the second year in a row the hoity Fest has been caught at the last minute. without lead actors to honor as they scramble about to lock some up before the Fest starts in 20 days. 1.05

U.S. Rep Katherine Harris is sworn in to a new term in D.C. late Tuesday. 1.05

* Hagger the Horrible to move from Sarasota. We'll miss Chris Browne our lone celebrity :)
Chris Browne at a local Firemen's Chili Cookoff as judge with his horns.

* Jimmy Dean, no not the sausage guy, the publisher of Sarasota Magazine was fired for making a Jewish slur on TV.

We promised you a 170lb. chocolate statue. The chefs at the local Ritz Carlton molded and constructed this one located in their lobby

* 55 acre organic farm near Punta Gorda sells produce at Sarasota Downtown Market and offers harvest shares for $500.

www.wordenfarm.com.

A bride boards a launch at Marina Jacks on Saturday. It was a short trip to the wedding across the inlet to Island Park.

This 1960's vintage Corvette cools it's jets while the owner takes care of business along S. Beneva.

A Manatee at Mote Marine is looking for some more food. Watch for OT50's pictorial on Mote Marine.

The Banyan Tree collection on the grounds of the Ringling Museum affords a rare treat of these exotic trees.

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Ask for a different yet beautiful sunset every night and you will get it in SW Florida. This sunset was over the weekend.

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Large orange puffy clouds mark a sunrise in Sarasota this week. "Red sky in morn sailors take warn".

Sarasota named in top 25 art cities in the U.S.

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Sarasota's claim to fame east of I-75 are cows painted with advertising. They will be on display for a few weeks. Millions are expected to view them according to news source, yet there are only 350,000 people in Sarasota County.

Venice Middle School students painted beach scenes on  three Venice city dumpsters. From left, Venice Middle School art teacher, Lisa Jodwalis, and three of the students who worked on the project, David Skulitz, Sander Wood and Ethan Mix, show the result of their labors to Venice city Solid Waste Supervisor Debra Gardow.

It was a beautiful sunset Saturday night. Clear skies, warm temps and low humidity made for an invigorating environment. 5/05

The golfer on the right sticks his tongue out to his golf partner as if to say 'I told you so' after making the hole.5/05

A local ambulance with a restricted license plate tools down U.S. 41. Maybe the driver got speeding tickets or ?3/05

Gene Anders can tell you what it was like in Sarasota going back to 1937 when he moved here. He went to school in what he calls the Red Brick school.4/05

* Sarasota dermatologist, Michael A. Rosin, arrested on 25 counts of medical fraud and 25 counts of false statements. 4/05

Your mouth couldn't help but water when looking at or sampling this dish of paella at Give Hunger the Blues prepared by Sarasota restaurant The Table.

A dance demonstration of the salsa is given by a young girl and her dance instructor at "Give Hunger the Blues" Sunday.

Easter Sonrise Service at Siesta Key Beach this morning at daybreak drew fives of thousands of worshipers. This was the 48th year for the service at the beach.

When was the last or first time you saw a duck sitting in a tree? We caught this duck sitting in a tree

This Sarasota driver gives us the thumbs up as he tools around town in his red roadster.

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If you want a quick dose of freedom head to the corner of Liberty Ave. and Liberty Way in Sarasota.

Polo winners gather for their trophies at the Sarasota Polo Club on Sunday. Wachovia Bank team is in the blue shirts and sports one of the few women players.

The lead Corvette was a 1961 beauty at the Polo half time show.

 
Clydesdales steal the show as they show their stride around the perimeter of the Polo field.

The Boys and Girls Club of Sarasota was humming with all kinds of activities.

Two men stand in a window opening of the new office building going up at the corner of Main Street and 301 on Friday.

Children wait to perform their circus act this week. Sarasota being a big circus town attracts the very young to the more mature to perform.

 
By the looks of this photo you would think there was a thunderstorm on the horizon over Sarasota. Not. It was smoke from a controlled burn on the Carleton Preserve. 1.05

Frost this morning outlines the window panes of area homes with the sun on the rise. High today expected around 50. By Wednesday the high should be around 70.

This sailboat bit the water just south of the Blackburn Point bridge in Nokomis.1.05

This tike was on his own motorcycle (electric) at Thunder by the Bay Sunday. 1.05

2500 bikers line Main Street in Sarasota Sunday for the Thunder by The Bay Festival. The festival benefited the The Florida Center for Child Development in Sarasota.

Signs along Gulf Gate Drive were vandalized. They had only been erected two months ago. Similar signs erected over 10 years ago were napalmed. 1.05

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A tree along Gulf Gate Drive bites the dust. Sarasota County has tried numerous methods to slow down traffic along that road. 1.05

It's your choice :) you can have hibiscus in your yard or you can have snow :) Our town's hibiscus are in full bloom :) 1.05