If you’re looking for a destination dedicated to men’s fashion, or if finding the perfect gift for the guys in your life is a struggle you dread every time the holiday season rolls around, search no further than Stoked Flamingo in Bradenton. The store offers a vast assortment of menswear, everything from sets to socks, making it easy to find stylish and on-trend clothes locally.

Opened in May of last year by native Midwesterner Matthew Peterson, Stoked Flamingo is located in the heart of downtown Bradenton on 12th Street. Peterson opened the shop hoping to bring the Bradenton and Sarasota area a store that is specifically dedicated to quality menswear that fits the Florida lifestyle. “I decided to take it in a different direction and do only menswear. That was definitely missing in Bradenton/Sarasota, just for a guy to have a shop dedicated to him and the coastal lifestyle.”

Catering a store to men specifically has its own set of challenges, Peterson says. “Sometimes women shop with more impulse, maybe they don’t feel like they need to try it on or ask someone else’s opinion, they just get it.” he says. “While with men, it’s a whole different process. Sometimes it takes a little more work or even a couple trips in before they actually buy.” In this digital age, a social media presence is crucial to any up-and-coming business and, interestingly, Peterson adds that even marketing a store for men online is different than marketing it to women. “It’s a little bit harder. You get more reaction on social media from females, so with menswear, it’s trickier. You have to figure out what is the correct way to post, even the correct time to post, then you have to follow those guidelines a whole lot more.”

Since every piece of clothing at Stoked Flamingo has been curated to fit the Florida lifestyle by Peterson himself, finding the perfect outfit for yourself, or gift, is a breeze. Shoppers will find staples for locals and tourists alike, such as graphic tees and tropical printed button-ups, alongside more laid-back, surfer style pieces. Some of Stoked Flamingo’s notable best-sellers are cabana sets, which include matching shorts and button-ups with botanical, poppy prints reminiscent of classic Florida styles, but also adhering to the matching set trend that has been dominating men and women’s style this year.

“What I like to do is be unique and stand out and have a mix where it draws people in, but I also have those items you haven’t seen before. The brands aren’t exclusive to my store, but there are pieces that I pick that other stores who might carry that brand won’t carry that style or color. That’s keeping it fresh and unique every season.”

Stoked Flamingo, 263 12th St W, Bradenton, @stokedflamingo 

Pictured: .Photo courtesy of Matthew Peterson

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Just over a decade ago, Emmet Cahill made a decision that would alter the course of his life. At just 20 years old, having completed his first year of college in Ireland, Cahill decided to audition for the Irish singing group Celtic Thunder. “They’d done a couple of tours since the group’s inception in 2007 and were looking for a new guy to replace one of the singers. I’d heard about these auditions and just like countless other singers across Ireland and Scotland, I decided to go out for it” says Cahill. “The audition process was akin to something like American Idol, with multiple rounds and sets of judges. I remember the first round just going horribly wrong–I clearly hadn’t picked the right songs to sing, so they just kept asking me to sing different arrangements. Weirdly enough, I got a callback for a second round of auditions and at that point, I kind of knew what they were looking for and the rest is history.”

Flash forward 12 years later and Cahill, now 32 years old, remains with the group as one of its core vocalists. Founded in 2007 by music producer Sharon Browne as a concert program for public television that would celebrate the celtic heritage of the artists in the group, Celtic Thunder has evolved into an international spectacle: they have won Billboard’s Top World Music Artist five times, have toured the United States and Canada over a dozen times and have toured across Australia four times.

Now, in their first full-length tour since 2018, Celtic Thunder is coming to Sarasota’s Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall with their latest theatrical production Odyssey. “This new show Odyssey feels like it’s bringing Celtic Thunder back to its roots with what the original program was about. Odyssey is full of Irish tunes, many of which American audiences will know because there’s such a connection between Ireland and the United States,” says Cahill. “There are 40 million people in the States with Irish ancestry–it’s great to bring a part of Ireland with us whenever we play these songs and stories that resonate so deeply with millions of Americans.”

 November 1, 2023 7:30 pm, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, 941-953-3368. 

Pictured: Celtic Thunder brings Celtic celebration to Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. Photo courtesy of Emmet Cahill.

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Choral Artists of Sarasota’s 45th season begins with “Veteran’s Day in Song,” featuring songs that brought hope and inspiration during military conflicts, from the Revolutionary War through Desert Storm, Saturday, November 11, 1 p.m., at Church of the Redeemer, 222 S. Palm Avenue, Sarasota. Joining Choral Artists is Sergeant Major (ret) Bob McDonald, baritone and veteran of The US Army Chorus in Washington, DC. Tickets are $40, general admission; $20 for veterans with ID; and $5 for students. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.ChoralArtistsSarasota.org or call 941-387-4900.  

HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors North Emergency is hosting the annual “Crush the Crisis” prescription drug take back day on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023 to help raise awareness about the dangers of prescription drug misuse and the importance of safe and proper disposal of unused or expired medications. The event, which coincides with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, offers the community an opportunity to safely and anonymously dispose of medications that may be left over from previous procedures or other medical visits. “Education and prevention are our best tools when it comes reducing drug related overdoses and deaths. Since 2013, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office has collected nearly 12,000 pounds of prescription pills through take-back initiatives,” said Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells. Drug misuse and abuse has significant impacts on our community,” said Jenn Bocker, MD, chief medical officer of HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital. “We are proud to support and help educate people on the proper disposal of medications.” Law enforcement officers from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office will be collecting tablets, capsules and patches. Pills should be removed from any container with personal health information and placed in clear, plastic, sealable bags. Needles, syringes, lancets or liquids will not be accepted.

Date: this Saturday, October 28, Time: 9:00 am- Noon, HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors North Emergency, 8500 SR 70 East, Bradenton. 34202. 

Rise Up Cafe, the downtown Sarasota cafe with a big mission, is hosting the 2023 Fall Edition of the Great Ice Cream Eating Championship on Saturday, November 4th at 11:00am sharp-ish! Show everyone “what cha got” by eating as much ice cream as you can in 3 minutes. Two age divisions. A $25 entry fee (supports our nonprofit, Inclusion Revolution) gives contestants the opportunity to win an array of spectacular prizes along with the pride of being named Sarasota’s Ice Cream Eating Champ. Sign up. Be a winner. Support the amazing team members at Rise Up Cafe. Brain freeze is all in your head. 

Click here to register

The Pickleball Club, a firm founded in 2019 that develops and operates private, membership-based high-amenity indoor pickleball facilities throughout Florida, recently secured its eighth and ninth sites for future Florida club locations in Orlando in Orange County and Greenacres in Palm Beach County. The Pickleball Club placed under contract a 3.4-acre parcel in Orlando, Fla. for its eighth location at 1427 N. Semoran Blvd. for a 33,800-square-foot climate controlled facility with 12 indoor pickleball courts, 130 parking spaces and Players’ Courtyard with two outdoor pickleball courts and two bocce ball courts. The Orlando location will also feature a 3,900-square-foot Players’ Lounge mezzanine overlooking the courts, the company’s own restaurant, Pickle’s Café, and Dink’s Pro Shop. The club is expected to break ground in June 2024 and open in the summer of 2025. In Greenacres, The Pickleball Club is also under contract for its ninth site, a 4.9-acre parcel located at 5234 S Haverhill Road. The 41,140-square-foot climate controlled facility will offer members 16 indoor pickleball courts, 184 parking spaces, Players’ Courtyard with three covered outdoor courts and two bocce ball courts. Inside, a 3,850-square-foot Players’ Lounge will overlook the downstairs courts, Dink’s Pro Shop and Pickle’s Café, similar to the Venice location and other facilities. Groundbreaking for the club is expected in June 2024, with an opening in the summer of 2025. The Pickleball Club’s first location is now open and operating in Sarasota near Lakewood Ranch, with close to 600 members. Other locations under development include Port St. Lucie, which is currently under construction, Bonita Springs, Fort Myers, The Villages, Pinellas Park and Venice.