On a Thursday afternoon around 5 pm, Howie Hochberg steps out onto the porch of his gastropub, Cock and Bull, wearing an old Army-issue gas mask. He carries a 6-pack of assorted Delirium beers and a pizza box decorated with a hand-drawn illustration—the illustration features a cartoon bull with a dialogue bubble that reads, “Thanks for supporting our mom & pop!” “How do I look?” he asks. Even when the parking lot at the business he and his wife, Dawn, have owned for over 20 years sits empty—and is likely to remain so through at least April—he still feels compelled to ham it up for the camera, see if he can elicit a chuckle. His optimism and sense of humor are unflappable.

Like every restaurant in the area, the Hochbergs have continued to eke out a living during the coronavirus pandemic by offering to-go and delivery orders. Known for their soft-baked pretzels and beer cheese, the pub can also bake a respectable pie or assemble a hearty sandwich. Equally important, they can also put together a 6-pack sampler of beers and ciders with more panache and variety than just about any beer purveyor within 100 miles. The beer helps to sweeten the deal on some of the package dinners they put together throughout the week. Ever the fans of a good innuendo, the Hochbergs have taken to calling their dinner deals things like “Big Package,” “Huge Package” or “Just Add Netflix and Chill.” 

A “Big Package” can feed a socially isolated family of 4-6 for $36 and includes one specialty pizza, two pretzels with beer cheese and a 4-pack of assorted adult beverages. Depending on the ratio of adults to children, this meal has the potential to make a lot of people happy. While fruits, vegetables, whole grains and clean meats commonly comprise a healthy diet, sensible eating can sometimes be as much about comfort and happiness as it is about vitamins and fiber. And few things hold more promise of happiness and comfort than pizza and beer. So, keep eating those salads and smoothies that help maintain a steady flow of traffic on the GI tract, but don’t forget that sometimes happiness is a warm slice.

Orders can be placed via Facebook or telephone on Monday-Saturday from 4 pm to 8 pm. 

For more.

Sarasota Contemporary Dance will participate in the 2020 National Water Dance project. Participants from across the nation will join together wherever they are for a simultaneous dance on April 18, 2020 at 4 pm EST.  National Water Dance is first and foremost a Movement Choir—a collective body of dancers and movers physically engaged in drawing attention to and action on water issues. For 2020 our focus is on the climate crisis. NWD believes in the power of dance as a means to somatic empathy—Dance speaks to the physical connection we have with ourselves as ecological systems existing in a community with all other systems. We understand that in order to save the Earth we must first recognize that we are in interdependence with all living things. National Water Dance is creating a community of dancers that reestablishes our connection with each other.  Participants will live stream their dance on social media from wherever they are, be it their living room or back yard and we will share all the videos from participants on social media. 

Want to participate?

Concerts originally scheduled from mid-March through April have been tentatively moved to later dates.  In the wake of the corona virus outbreak, Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota has postponed some of its remaining concerts originally scheduled from mid-March through April. The updated concert listing is below. (Concerts with new dates are indicated in red.) The organization will continue to closely monitor official guidance from health and government authorities and will advise of any further postponements or changes. For more information visit www.ArtistSeriesConcerts.org or call 941-306-1202, Mon. – Fri., 10 am – 4 pm. “So far, we’ve been extremely fortunate in being able to postpone rather than cancel some of the concerts remaining in our season,” says Joseph Holt, director of artist programs for Artist Series Concerts. The 2019-20 season, which was to have concluded with a single June concert on the 14th, now stretches well into summer and also includes a new performance in late July as part of Florida Studio Theatre’s Suffragist Project. Holt adds, “Like so many other area arts organizations, we’re all sheltering, waiting, monitoring and hoping to be able to safely share the joy of exceptional live music with our community again soon!” 

Photo: Cuarteto Tanguero

For the full lineup of new dates.

Mike Levine, the owner of Home Instead Senior Care of Venice, has received a Venice Lifetime Achievement Award. Randy Moore, the publisher of South County Healthy Living and Englewood Healthy Living, made the announcement today. “Mike has been a champion of many area nonprofits during his career,” Moore said. “His advocacy in support of seniors and caregivers is particularly noteworthy.”

Mike’s history in the Venice area began as a child working at Royal Coachmen Resort, the family’s business in Nokomis. After growing a network of radio stations, Mike returned to Venice to manage and eventually sell the family RV business. He then resurrected a local franchise restaurant that had closed. Mike expanded the operation to five stores in two years earning recognition as the Company Franchise of the Year in 1999 and the Sarasota County Small Business of the Year in 2000. 

Mike spend the next three years as a senior consultant with a national consulting firm specializing in the campground industry. Some of his projects included helping to develop the restaurants at Linger Lodge and the Ellington Ice Rink. Mike then joined The Salvation Army to remodel, staff and operate their two thrift stores. The store in Venice is still the most successful Salvation Army store in Florida.

Mike bought a franchise in 2012 with Home Instead Senior Care and his territory includes Venice, Osprey, North Port, Englewood, Gulf Gate, Manasota Key, Casey Key, South Siesta Key, and Palmer Ranch. His team currently supports 125 seniors. In addition to serving on the Salvation Army board for 20 years, Mike has also served on the board for the local retirement community Village on the Isle. Mike’s Be a Santa to a Senior Program supports more than 850 seniors each year. 

The team behind The DeMarcay, a luxury residential condominium project by GK Real Estate in downtown Sarasota, FL., is launching a series of complimentary business webinars tailored to real estate professionals but available to anyone and has transitioned its sales gallery to a completely virtual experience. The first Zoom webinar will be held Friday, April 10 at 10:30 am featuring video production with a focus on social media use. Tips will be presented on how participants can create their own videos, best practices and length, among other subjects. The second webinar will be held Wednesday, April 15 at 10:30 am on social media and public relations during a crisis, and the third session will be held on Friday, April 17 at 10:30 am on business coaching and how to stay motivated during these trying times.  “In this time of uncertainty, people can feel helpless and unsure about what the future holds,” said Christine Lutz, vice president of sales and marketing of ON Collaborative. “We wanted to support our Realtor partners and the business community by gathering our top resources and offering them up for free during this time of social distancing.” 

To register for the live Zoom meetings, email Bobbi@TheDeMarcay.com. 

More on the DeMarcay.

Timothy Novak, D.B.A., M.S.A., FACHT, dean of LECOM’s School of Health Services Administration (SHSA), announced James A. Stikeleather, D.B.A., M.B.A., as the director of LECOM’s new Doctor of Healthcare Administration (D.H.A.) program.

“Dr. Stikeleather brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and innovation which will greatly benefit all our students at LECOM by accelerating early adoption of next-generation healthcare systems applications by our graduates,” said LECOM Senior Vice President, Provost and Dean of Academic Affairs Silvia M. Ferretti, D.O. Stikeleather is a graduate of the Doctor of Business Administration program at the University of South Florida’s (USF) Muma College of Business. He has served as a USF trustee and a strategic planning adviser and has taught USF MBA programs. “It is a privildge to again be working with Dr. Stikeleather and to bring his innovation and energy to our D.H.A. program,” said Novak. “Dr. Stikeleather is a former classmate of mine at USF, so I have witnessed firsthand his tremendous insights and passion for bridging academic rigor with next-generation healthcare industry applications.”

Stikeleather has held numerous executive positions, including chief innovation officer at Dell, chief technology officer (CTO) at Perot Systems, CTO at MeadWestvaco, and CTO at New Ventures, a personal entrepreneurial venture reaching 36th on the Inc. 500 list. He is an international speaker, having most recently spoken on future models of business in Sofia, Bulgaria. Stikeleather is the author of several books, including, “Next Generation Computing” and “Business Innovation in the Cloud.” He has contributed to other works, including Harvard Business Review’s “Guide to Data Analytics Basics for Managers.” Stikeleather has several patents and has been inducted into the National Academy of Inventors. He has taught innovation and business modeling at the Innovation Academy, Trinity College Dublin, in Ireland. Stikeleather has spoken on innovation, analytics, creativity and application of advanced technologies at MIT, Harvard, NASA and many others.

LECOM’s newly launched D.H.A. degree program qualifies healthcare industry professionals as faculty members, preparing them to perform research and teach the business of healthcare at the college level while equipping senior healthcare executives for advanced career opportunities. D.H.A. graduates will have next-generation understanding of artificial intelligence, machine learning and the ability to conduct rigorous research and analysis with the objective of applying the findings to real-world decision making throughout the healthcare industry. 

For more info on the LECOM D.H.A. program

Monica Van Buskirk has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Philanthropy at Safe Children Coalition. The Safe Children Coalition is a community coalition blending available resources to support, advocate, grow, and educate the children and families we serve. 

For more.

Making sure you consistently get a good night’s sleep is one of the best ways you can improve your immunity and defend against viruses and disease. Sleep also boosts your brain health. According to Michael Breus, PhD, the Brain Health Initiative’s sleep expert and America’s Sleep Doctor, sleep is a natural immune booster. Sleep is necessary for your immune system to run as efficiently as possible, and for your brain to perform optimally. According to Dr. Breus, here’s why: Sleep fosters T cell production. T cells are white blood cells that play a critical part in the immune system’s response to viruses. Sleep deprivation, meanwhile, stops T cells from responding efficiently — and makes it more difficult for the body to fight back against illnesses; sleep improves the immune system’s response time. By completing the four sleep cycles required for a good night’s sleep you are supporting the release and production of cytokine, a multi-faceted protein that helps the immune system quickly respond to antigens; and, poor sleep is a factor in getting sick. Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco highlighted last year that poor sleep was the number one factor in determining whether someone would get sick. These findings were indicated after being exposed to the cold virus. Dr. Breus doesn’t suggest that sleep is a panacea for coronavirus or any illness. Rather, an opportunity to practice the fundamentals. There’s no debate sleep is a vital component of a healthy brain and body.

Here are seven tips from Dr. Breus to get a good night’s sleep.

1.Give yourself an electronic curfew of 90 minute prior to lights out: This means a media diet before bed (you need time to relax and destress). Remove blue light by wearing blue light blocking glasses, it will help you wind down before bed and help your body produce melatonin on the proper schedule.

2. Consider meditation or progressive relaxation before bed or while falling asleep.

3. Compile a gratitude list in your mind (while lying in bed, in the dark): Many people think stressful thoughts as they fall asleep (which makes sense, it’s the first time all day you get to think by yourself), but that causes increases in our fight or flight hormones. Thinking less stressful or positive thoughts can help reduce stressful feelings and help with sleep (improves deep sleep and encourages more positive dreams).

4. Keep your schedule consistent: The more consistent your wake-up time, the more consistent your overall body function. Avoid extra napping if you are home bound, it will only disrupt your nighttime sleep.

5. Lower stimulants and depressants (e.g., caffeine and alcohol). If you are already stressed out, adding caffeine to the mix is NOT a great idea, it will only increase the unwanted side effects. Alcohol, while making you feel sleepy, does NOT allow for quality rest, which in turn will make you feel even more stressed if you have a hangover the next day. It also makes you less able to fight a virus.

6. Take a hot shower or bath 90 minutes before bed: Wash off all those germs and increase your core body temperature. Your body temperature will decrease once you get out of the tub and help produce melatonin naturally.

7. Make sure your environment is clean: If possible, use HEPA filtration for your bedroom air. Wash sheets 2x a week (in HOT water), try to do an overall deep cleaning of your bedroom, you will be spending a lot of time there. 

Although the Museum is temporarily closed, the staff is very busy. The Animal Care team continues to care for manatees Viva, Doscal and Felicia as well as their four yellow-bellied slider turtles in the Mosaic Backyard Universe. As essential personnel, they will make sure all of our animals stay happy and healthy while the Museum is temporarily closed.  Their education team and other members of our staff are busy adjusting programming so it can be delivered remotely. (Be sure to check out their Facebook page each Monday for a Minute of Manatee Zen!) They're planning their first virtual  think + drink / science for this Wednesday (details on how and when to connect below) and we will keep you posted as we add new offerings. They have already created a variety of virtual experiences on social media that are fun and educational  and hope you join them on Facebook at noon on weekdays. 

Click for your minute of manatee zen.

Due to the escalation of COVID-19 concerns, Sarasota Orchestra will cancel the remainder of concerts in their 2019-2020 season. This includes the cancellation of our Discoveries and Outdoor Pops concerts in May, and the Sarasota Music Festival in June. They will be busy planning and preparing for the scheduled commencement of the upcoming season in September and the next Sarasota Music Festival running from June 5 to 26, 2021.  In connection with Sarasota Music Festival programming, Festival leadership is currently reviewing the rescheduling of programming connected with this year's Suffragist Project and exploring SMF virtual connectivity during the typical festival period in June. In the meantime, their musicians will not be silent. They have launched an online hub of music and recorded vignettes called Music Moves Us. This initiative is intended to keep the music playing in your hearts and homes until we can come together at performances again.  

CANCELLED CONCERTS AND EVENTS

April 30: Classical Conversations 

May 2 - 3, Discover Beethoven 2: Discover Beethoven's Seventh 

May 8 - 9, Outdoor Pops: Iconic Songs of the 70's*

May 30 - June 20: Sarasota Music Festival  

Click for complete details on options for ticket holders.

Asolo Rep announced today that it will present a Facebook and YouTube Live presentation of A NIGHT AT THE BLUEBIRD CAFE on Wednesday, April 8 at 6pm, as part of their Ground Floor Series. The musical concert features members of the cast of KNOXVILLE, which will have its world premiere as part of the theatre’s 2020-21 season. The Ground Floor Series, which had its inaugural performance on March 2, consists of one-performance only events featuring diverse dramatic, movement and musical pieces. The original series of five events was scheduled to be performed in a new performance space in the FSU Center for the Performing Arts, however four of the performances were canceled due to the COVID-19 virus. 

In the style of the legendary Nashville music venue, The Bluebird Cafe, seven actor/singer/song-writers from the KNOXVILLE cast will present an intimate and completely unique musical performance, including several original songs. Viewers are invited to view the event from their living rooms and share the experience with these artists as they each broadcast from theirs. Performers include Sara Aili, Hannah Elless, Nathan Salstone, Joel Waggoner, and special guests Matt Szlachetka and Micaela Diamond. 

CLick here to visit the Asolo Rep Facebook page where the video will appear live streaming on Wednesday, April 8 at 6pm.

This past Friday, CenterPlace Health confirmed their first patient with a positive test for COVID-19. At the time of testing, the patient was being treated at the health center’s North Port location. 

“While the patient was in our care, we followed infection control protocols established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” said Melissa Parker, CEO, in a prepared statement. “This includes the use of personal protective equipment and the placement of the patient in a negative pressure room, away from other patients. Currently, the patient is in isolation and following her medical provider’s orders.”  

The patient was thankful for the caring and compassionate health care providers at CenterPlace Health.  “I was coughing uncontrollably and couldn’t talk.  I felt the nurse and Nurse Practitioner could see in my eyes my cry for help.  They were so amazing, they kept telling me it’s going to be ok; I’m going to be fine”, the patient said.  

“We want our patients to know we can provide COVID-19 testing and appropriate treatment and medication.  We are here for them during this crisis”, said Parker.  

“I’d like to thank everyone who was involved with this patient, as it was handled with the utmost professionalism and appropriate use of PPE and other protective measures.  Our team was diligent, and we were able to eliminate the risk of exposure to clients and staff alike,” said Samantha Mullens, RN, Site Manager.  

CenterPlace Health is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) with three sites in Sarasota County providing primary health care services in adult health, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, dental and behavioral health.  CenterPlace Health (CPH) is the area’s largest primary care safety net provider for low-income and uninsured children, adolescents, adults and seniors. Without the services of an FQHC, uninsured or uninsured patients with limited means have limited options to receive primary care.