Pier Centennial - two days of fun

ANNA MARIA – The mood was festive, and people lined Pine Avenue and Gulf Drive as the City Pier Centennial parade wound its way from Crosspointe Fellowship to the pier on Friday evening.

Grand marshals Carolyne Norwood, Elizabeth Moss and Margaret Chapman waved to the crowd, followed by the Manatee High School drum line and cars full of dignitaries. More...

High-flying proposal made at 500 feet

CLOUD NINE – Wedding plans are no longer up in the air for David Bradley and Alanah Owens, who became engaged as they soared above the Gulf of Mexico off Bradenton Beach on a Mother's Day parasailing trip.

"They made it seem like it was a special Mother's Day thing," said Owens, who was shocked to see a sign on the beach below, saying, "Alanah, will you marry me?" More...

County mulls Segways in parks

The issue of whether the county can regulate the use of Segways on the Coquina Beach Trail and the trails in the Leffis Key Preserve re-emerged at a Manatee County Commission meeting last week and it means a concessionaire who was chosen to rent the popular rides at those two area will have to wait a while before setting up shop there. According to what was said at an earlier meeting, the county wants to allow only those riders who rent from the concessionaire, Segs by the Sea, to ride the trails. More...

Cell tower consultant answers questions

ANNA MARIA – Commissioners last week questioned Rusty Monroe, of the Center for Municipal Solutions, a group that advises and assists local governments regulate cell towers and wireless facilities.

"I'm not here to ask you to retain us or talk you into doing anything, but to answer questions on the issue of towers and wireless facilities," Monroe told the board, "so you have some idea of what's coming, what the effect is going to be and how to deal with it so you can make some informed decisions." More...

Blood drive returns to Island

HOLMES BEACH – It's almost time for the Island Blood Drive, the annual event that helps Florida Blood Services refill the blood bank that gets low this time of year and helps five non-profits with their budgets.

The blood drive will be held at St. Bernard Catholic Church, 248 S. Harbor Drive, on Saturday and Sunday, June 4 and 5, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. The church is air conditioned, so you'll be comfortable no matter how long you have to wait. More...

Sun newspaper nominated for statewide awards

The Anna Maria Island Sun has been named as a finalist for 14 awards in the 2010 Florida Press Association Better Weekly Newspaper Contest. The awards will be presented on July 1 at the Vinoy Resort in St. Petersburg. More...

Bring the kids to the Island library

HOLMES BEACH – Don't let the kids get too much exposure to the hot sun this summer.

The Island Branch Library, at 5701 Marina Drive, has a series of programs aimed at young minds on Thursdays this summer. More...

Bird, turtle tours begin

Birds and sea turtles are laying eggs on and in the sands of Anna Maria Island's beaches, and people are flocking to see them.

"People come up to us all the time and ask questions," said Glenn Wiseman, of Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shore Bird Monitoring, which has begun offering both bird and sea turtle nesting tours.

The organization's volunteers stake off turtle nests and bird nesting areas to protect them and monitor hatching and survival rates. More...

Crosswait tournament fosters high ideals

The Annual Crosthwait Memorial Fishing Tournament was held this past weekend at the Bradenton Yacht Club. The tournament was established 28 years ago as a tribute to Col. Sam Crosthwait and to further his high ideals of sportsmanship and camaraderie among Florida west coast anglers. The popular tournament has grown over the years due to the professional manner in which it is organized and by being sensitive to the trends that have developed in the sport fishing industry. Over the years the tournament has adopted a photo and release policy on inshore fish and billfish and this year added a fly fishing division. While final results were not available at press time anglers fishing the offshore division battled large seas and managed to catch and release two large blue marlin along with numerous other species. More...

Falling in love with a house

Inner workings of immediate annuities

Sales of annuities tend to increase after periods of financial uncertainty. So, even though the last couple years have been pretty good for stock and bond markets, the impact of the last decade where there were two major stock market declines, a real estate bubble burst and a full scale financial crisis, investors still like the sound of the word guaranty.

An immediate annuity is a contract with an insurance company. You give them a lump sum of cash, which is immediately annuitized into a stream of income. The income is usually a monthly payment and the amount is based on your age, the term over which you wish to receive the income and additional factors like whether or not you want your beneficiaries to continue to receive the income for a limited time if you die early in the contract period. More...

Bring on the heat

The NBA playoffs, the weather and the Center's basketball league all heat up in May. Some say the Miami Heat are the team to beat in the NBA, but there is not a clear cut favorite in the Center's league. The parity and excitement of the league is evident with numerous games being decided by last second buzzer beaters and desperation shots. Any team can win on any given night, and there are no easy games.

Halfway through the season, Cortez Kat Charters, Ross Built Construction, Walter & Associates, The Island Sun and LaPensee Plumbing will all be the teams the others are shooting for. These teams have set the bar and only time will tell if they can maintain their lead. More...

The question of running on the beach

If you ask runners if running on the beach is a good idea, the jury will be split. Runners will be about as opinionated as they are about their running shoes. So I'll approach this week's topic by trying to gingerly stick my big toe in the water, which after a hot run on the beach is about as close to heaven as a runner can get. Ooops, I think I've tipped my visor.

We moved here for many reasons, ranging from living as close to the beach as possible, to living as close to the beach as possible. Our first house had a great view looking across Bayfront Park with unobstructed views of Tampa Bay. That alone sold us. More...