For a dragon boat to even be able to leave the dock, someone has to steer. In 2013, Angela Long had never set foot in a dragon boat before. So naturally, she learned to steer.

“All of us who started in that first boat were new to the sport,” says Long, the founder of Survivors in Sync and head paddling coach at Nathan Benderson Park. “For us to be able to have practices, someone had to learn how to steer the boat and I knew I had to take that on because nobody else knew how to. It just made sense for me to do it.”

Long started Survivors in Sync, a breast cancer support group, after her recovery for breast cancer. Dragon boat racing—which was propounded in 1996 by Canadian Dr. Don McKenzie as a form of exercise for breast cancer survivors—was not initially on the docket. When the International Dragon Boat Festival came to Nathan Benderson Park for the first time in 2014, festival organizers wanted Sarasota to have a boat. “It’s just been teamwork since the very beginning. That first year, we’d only been battling together for six months, but finished in the top half of that competition that brought in over 100 teams from around the world. For the next festival, four years later, we set the goal to be one of the top teams—we finished fourth in the world that year,” says Long.

SIS, and the ensuing paddling programming at Nathan Benderson, has only grown since then. SIS has competed at higher levels, including the Club Crew World Championships, and the programming at Nathan Benderson has expanded to include veteran and all-cancer survivor teams, more recreational-minded dragon boat teams and outrigger canoeing. This past July, Long was selected as Team USA’s first-ever coach for breast cancer paddlers. Long led 39 women from across the country, including 22 paddlers from the Nathan Benderson Park Paddling Program, to compete in the International Dragon Boat Federation World Championships in Brandenburg, Germany. In total, the athletes from Nathan Benderson Park brought home 11 gold medals, 28 silver medals and 48 bronze medals. “If you had told me 12 years ago that I’d be doing what I’m doing now, I could have never imagined it,” says Long. “I’m so appreciative to be here and to be able to contribute to the lives of others.”

Nathan Benderson Park, 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle, Sarasota, 34235 

NBP paddlers train for the IDBF World Championships in Bradenburg, Germany. Photo by Joe Meischke, Jr.

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On Thursday, October 16, check out Sarasota nights done right with rooftop pilates, DJ beats, prosecco, sweets and local pop-ups--the perfect mix of sweat, shop & socialize at CitySide Apartments Rooftop – Downtown Sarasota. Event runs 5:30–7:30pm with free 45-min mat Pilates class at 6:00pm. Included music by DJ GiGi, drinks, sweets and raffles, local vendors with self-care, wellness and lifestyle finds. Bring your mat, bring a friend and let’s flow into the sunset. 

TerraNova Equestrian Center is pleased to announce a unique partnership with Bradenton restaurant, Taverna Toscana. Under the visionary ownership of Steve Herrig and the culinary leadership of renowned Chef Fabio Viviani, this collaboration will bring Taverna Toscana’s signature flavors to TerraNova’s prestigious events, offering guests an unforgettable experience combining world-class cuisine with world-class equestrian events.  A selection of drinks, including an open beer & wine bar, mimosa bar, and Bloody Mary station, will complement the buffet-style service.
 

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Enjoy a casual evening of cocktails and hors d'oeuvres overlooking Little Sarasota Bay at Selby Gardens' Historic Spanish Point campus. Watch the sunset and be the first to see the refurbished Sunken Garden and preview our new exhibition Robert Louis Stevenson: A Child's Garden of Verses. This exhibition is a celebration of childhood and the imagination of youth through the words and images of A Child’s Garden of Verses, the beloved book of poetry for children by the celebrated Scottish writer, Robert Louis Stevenson. The exhibition will feature photographs of pages from a vintage edition of the book, combining Stevenson’s poetry with illustrations by the notable American artist, Alexander Dobkin. Accompanying the photographs will be simple interactives that draw their inspiration from Stevenson’s poems and enhance the visitor experience. An audio recording will enable visitors to hear the poems read by Selby Gardens’ Artist-in-Residence, Patti Smith. The event will be held at the Historic 19th Century White Cottage, Sunken Garden, and Pergola. 

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The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall introduces its first-ever Family Fest, inspired by the popular Friday Fest series. This free, multigenerational event will feature Asolo Rep on Tour’s production of Alice in Wonderland with two relaxed, sensory-friendly performances. Families can also enjoy themed activities, interactive mindfulness and literacy sessions with teaching artist Mr. Stevey, delicious bites from food trucks, and the Children’s Entrepreneur Market featuring products made and sold by local kids.

Saturday, September 27, 10am-2pm, Performances of Alice in Wonderland at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. 

The “ConnectED” statewide conference for the Consortium of Florida Education Foundations (Consortium) in Orlando on September 15 provided a great opportunity to surprise the Education Foundation of Sarasota County’s Jennifer Vigne with special recognition for her leadership in the organization. The Jim McKenzie Consortium Champion Award is presented annually to a local education foundation leader who exemplifies the Consortium’s values of collaboration, connection, leadership and excellence. The honoree is surprised with the award and recognized by their peers for actively engaging with the Consortium and sharing their time and resources with colleagues. Vigne was selected for her consistent engagement with the Consortium over the ten years as leader of the Foundation, including Board Chair from 2021-23. Vigne makes herself available to her peers on a regular basis, taking the lead in member professional development webinars and learning communities where she freely shares her knowledge and expertise as a high performing leader with her peers. Most recently she led the Consortium’s CEO Search and Transition Task Force to replace a 17-year leader, conducting a successful, smooth and thorough 10-month process of strategic conversations and actions to select the Consortium’s next leader. 

For the 35th year, Florida Studio Theatre (FST) is proud to bring its award-winning WRITE A PLAY program to schools across Florida, inspiring students to imagine bold new worlds, give voice to their ideas, and write their own original plays. This year, FST continues to expand its reach, building on partnerships with Sarasota, Manatee, and Broward County schools while welcoming new classrooms into this one-of-a-kind program. WRITE A PLAY is a three-part initiative that connects with students and educators multiple times throughout the school year. The journey begins with a professional production at FST. This year, the experience begins with Peter Pan, adapted by Caroline Saldivar and Ben Liebert from James Matthew Barrie’s timeless classic. Students attend as a field trip or see it as part of FST’s Children’s Theatre Series, sparking their imaginations from the start. Teachers and group leaders interested in bringing FST’s WRITE A PLAY into their classrooms should contact Caroline Saldivar at writeaplay@floridastudiotheatre.org or by calling (941) 366-9797. 

Annabelle Hassler, a talented seventh-grade student at Rowlett Middle Academy, has been named ‘Artist of the Week’ in a nationwide voting competition on Artsonia.com, the world’s largest collection of online student art portfolios featuring over 125 million works of art. Hassler’s winning artwork, titled ‘Blue Conversations,’ captured the attention of voters nationwide, receiving over 800 online votes. The Artist of the Week program was created by Artsonia 25 years ago to highlight student creativity and engage schools and communities in celebrating young artists. Each week, 12 student submissions are randomly selected from artwork submitted the previous week in four different age groups (PreK-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12) for public voting. Winners receive both recognition and prizes. As part of the award, Blick Art Materials generously provides a $100 gift certificate to the winning student’s art program and a $50 gift certificate to the student. For more information, visit artsonia.com. 

Pictured: Artist of the Week Winner Annabelle Hassler (left) with art teacher Brittany Braniger (right). Provided photo.

Five Sarasota County Schools educators have been named recipients of the Ripple Effect Teacher Award, presented by Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation. Foundation representatives were joined by school district leaders, including the superintendent, to surprise each honoree with a pop-up award ceremony at their school. The Ripple Effect award includes a gift of $5,000 from the Foundation. The five educators who received the fall 2025 Ripple Effect Teacher Award are: Joe Brunetti, English Language Arts Teacher, Suncoast Polytechnical High School, Allison Cohen, Math Teacher and Department Chair, Booker Middle School, Olga Hernandez-Cardel, ESOL Liaison, Tuttle Elementary School, Khea Knight, College and Career Director, Booker High School, David Verdoni, Performing Arts Department Chair and Theory of Knowledge Teacher, Riverview High School.  The Foundation presents the award to five teachers twice a year, in May and September, with the current round timed to commemorate Margie Barancik’s birthday month.  Since 2021, 50 Sarasota County Schools educators have been honored. 

The SCF Music Program invites you to an unforgettable evening of live performance as we launch the 2025–2026 season in style. Experience the power and passion of our talented student ensembles —including Symphonic Band, Concert Choir, Chamber Choir, Guitar Ensemble, JazzBig Band, and Jazz Combo — as they come together for a vibrant celebration of music. Don’t miss this dynamic kickoff to a new year of inspired music-making! $15 General Admission, $5 students/staff. 

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