Leadership Manatee to salute Jaymie Carter

 Jaymie Carter is the 19th annual Kent C. Schulz Distinguished Alumni Award recipient from the Leadership Manatee Alumni Association. Jaymie has been a tireless volunteer, serving on boards and committees and chairing fundraisers for numerous organizations. Past recipients are Rose Carlson, Amanda Edge, Tom Seguin, Bob Bartz,  Betsy Benac, Darrell Turner, John Vita, Edie Bustle, Connie Shingledecker, Diana Davis, Linda Agresta, Ruth Lawler, Cliff Walters, Robert King, Gerry Russell, Brenda Rogers and Bob Sweat.

Oh, no! Say it ain’t so! Bruce Braithwaite is about to hit the Big 6-0! The milestone lands on the Manatee Hurricane baseball assistant coach Saturday.

The Shamrock 5K Run/Walk to benefit the Women’s Resource Center of Manatee and Foundation for Dreams is Sunday. Registration is 1 p.m. and a post race party follows on Old Main Street.
Call 941-746-5659. Or visit www.active.com or www.fit2run.com.

Read more Friday in Vin's People on Bradenton.com.

 

Thirteen delicious pies lucky duty for these judges

Cis Paulsen's winning blueberry cream pie ... what's left of it.

What a pie lovers' delight it was last Saturday afternoon at Palmetto Historical Park.
Cheesecake.
Lemon meringue.
Sweet potato.
That was only part of the lineup in the pie tasting before a hungry panel of judges including County Commissioner Larry Bustle, North River Fire Marshal Ron Cales, Palmetto Police Chief Rick Wells and yours truly for Palmetto's Heritage Day Celebration.

Chief Rick Wells

There were 13 pies in all and each was wonderful.
If you like pecan pie --- and I do --- there wasn't just one or two, but three entries!
There were a couple of lemon meringue pies, as well.
And a banana cream pie.
And a butter milk.
And a couple of catchy creations called pie pops, shaped like hearts, one flavored lemon, the other cherry.
The darkhorse in the event had no catchy name but it did have killer ingredients like dark chocolate, maple, bacon and pecan.
Mmm-mmmmm!
Scoring was high across the panel and we thought the contest might end in a tie.
It didn't.
Third place went to a Ginny Whelan's scrumptious strawberry rhubarb pie.
Second, to Mary Alta Dowd Griffin's lemon meringue pie.
First place to went to Cis Paulsen's blueberry cream pie, a winner for taste and appearance, too.
The judges weren't the only ones who liked it most.
So did members of the audience.
By the time the Cis picked up her pan, there was one narrow wedge of her winning pie left to take home.

Spring breakers welcome, but be safe, smart

A really bad sunburn. A bath tub filled with cheap beer on ice. A hotel room view overlooking the sparkling Atlantic Ocean and all that golden sand under a blue sky that made yours truly decide, “This is for me.”
That was spring break in early March 1971 in Daytona Beach for several of us Bowling Green State University seniors.
Other than being emphatically uninvited to a party thrown in another hotel room by some Southern gentlemen —  “Y’all better hauuul a--,” the SEC tackle-sized guy at the door told us — it was a pretty tame week.
We returned safely to school, sunburnt skin peeling along I-75, and got on with our lives.
Which is what we wish for all spring breakers visiting our gorgeous beaches this month.
Enjoy yourselves but be smart and stay safe at the same time. We don’t mean just using plenty of sunscreen, either.

Read more Sunday in Mannix About Manatee on Bradenton.com.

Ohio State great speaks at alumni golf bash April 6

 

Wakeland Elementary  School's Mikaela Boelkins, Kamryn Clayton, Isabella Ferber, Kaylee Hodge, Olivia Hodge, Madelyn Stone and Anjali Visvalingam pose with the Pirate mascot and sing our national  anthem Feb. 22 at McKechnie Field, led by teacher Amelia Lyons.

Two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin will be guest speaker at the 11th annual Sarasota-Manatee Ohio State Alumni Club Golf Outing April 6 at the Lakewood Ranch Golf And Country Club’s Cypress Links course.
For details, call Larry Hedden (941-359-0477), Dan Jannelli (941-244-0668), Gerry King (941-923-6050), Jim McMahon (941-377-4474) or Chris Hill (941-962-1857).

Palmetto’s Heritage Day Celebration is 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and among the festivities at Palmetto Historical Park, 515 10th Ave. W., is a pie judging contest. The epicurean  panelists are County Commissioner Larry Bustle, North River Fire Marshall Ron Cales, Palmetto Police Chief Rick Wells and yours truly.
We will accept bribes.

Ted Meekma will sing while Levi Waxler signs our national anthem for Friday’s Orioles-Pirates game at McKechnie Field. Ellery Carlson does the honors Saturday and Nelka Decius, Monday.
Andrew McCutchen’s mom, Petrina, will sing it with the Jays in town March 13 and Yarrick O’Connor will follow with “O’ Canada.”

Read more Friday in Vin's People on Bradenton.com.


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Cold weather really just mind over matter

Walked across the street for a cup of coffee the other day during this latest cold snap. 
Had long johns on underneath my dress slacks.
Wore a sweater and a leather jacket over that.
I was  freezing.
Then I saw a couple leaving the coffee shop.
Both wore T-shirts and shorts.
I laughed.
I must be a wimp.
Having spent virtually all of my adult life in Florida, my blood is as thin as any longtime resident of Bradenton or the Sunshine State.
That's just the way it is.
I've never quibbled about it.
Although I thought I was dressed warmly enough when I left the house early Wednesday for my thrice-weekly morning walk.
Wrong!
That wind just went right through my sweats.
Made me walk faster than usual and covered what's normally a 75-minute walk in 65 minutes.  
As long as the sun is shining, cold weather like we've been having of late is OK by me.
There's another way I like to look at it, too.
Come August when the temperature in the 90s with humidity to match, I'll think back on this chilly weather.
It's really no big deal at all.

Getting one baseball autograph worth the wait

Getting baseball autographs is an infrequent exercise for me.
If I manage to have a ball signed once a year, I'm good.
The autograph scrums that take place before spring training games are something I try to avoid.
Anytime I see a throng of autograph-seekers crowded at the bottom of an aisle along the third base side of a ballpark, I stay away.
Navigating a pack of autograph-seeking fans armed with baseball card binders, photos, bags of balls, even bats, is a hassle.
Likewise, I know box seat ticket holders, trying to get to their seats, hands full with food and beverage, can be a little put out, too.
Anyway, Monday morning at McKechnie Field before the Phillies-Pirates game I staked out an empty aisle  further up the third baseline.
All I had was my glove, a ball and a Sharpie.
There were either of two guys I was hoping to get.
One was Ryan Howard, the Phillies' slugging first baseman.
The other, third base coach Ryne Sandberg. The Cubs Hall of Fame second baseman is heir apparent to succeed Phillies skipper Charlie Manuel.
As gametime neared the Phillies starters began trickling onto the field to stretch inside the third baseline.
Howard was one of them.
The cry went up nearby:
"HEY, RYAN! SIGN A COUPLE?"
Howard kept on walking.
That left Plan B, because I wasn't sticking around any longer than I had to.
Aah, there came Sandberg, working his way along the railing, patiently signing as he went.
Keep coming, keep coming, I silently urged him as I held out my ball and Sharpie.
Finally, Sandberg arrived and took his time signing his name and his No. 23.
I thanked him and wished him luck.
Turning around, there was a mob of anxious autograph buffs behind me, but I quickly worked my way through it.
I had my prize.

Steube's bill unrealistic in school safety objective

 

Seeing a Manatee County Sheriff’s Office cruiser outside a school has an effect.
If I’m visiting, I’m on my best behavior.
If I’m a parent, it’s reassuring.
If I work at that school, same thing.
It usually means there’s a resource officer on duty, a professional law enforcement person trained to serve and protect.
I would feel nowhere near as confident knowing there is a school employee designated to do that important job.
It doesn’t matter who that person is, whether they’re packing or have ready access to a weapon.
Not the assistant principal.
Not the fifth-grade teacher.
Not the phys ed instructor.
State Rep. Greg Steube, R-Bradenton, believes otherwise.

Read more Sunday in Mannix About Manatee on Bradenton.com.