Council's burgers are art, too, and worth risking the war zone

Dwayne Johnson was installing a new water meter in front of Council's on Tuesday. (Photo Jim Jones)

Noon today, we stopped by Village of the Arts to interview a wood sculptor who will be taking part in The Creative Arts Association 10th Annual Art Show and Sale 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Nov. 19 at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall.

The need to get a story is a powerful motivator, but so is hunger. On the way back to the newsroom we stopped by Council's Recreation Parlor, 536 12th St. W., Bradenton.

For those who have never been, Council's is a pool palace with well worn linoleum  floors and lots of Florida Gator and Manatee High School football memorabilia on the walls. But the burgers, served on a napkin, are the main draw. Best in town, and like they say, they were making burgers back in the day that if someone said McDonald's, you  thought they were talking about a farm.

Council's sits across the street from the historic Manatee Courthouse which is undergoing renovations. It's on a street where people come who are in trouble: lots of bail bondsmen and law offices. 

The Manatee Avenue widening project has many streets in the area that are torn up or blocked off. And on top of that, the sidewalk in front of Council's has a big hole in it, where Bradenton workers are installing a new water meter and backflow preventor.

In other words, it's a war zone. To get to Council's these days, it takes courage, determination and an overwhelming burger drive.

Happy to say that in spite of the difficulties, the lunch counter was packed. Lots of courthouse workers in white shirts and ties, along with blue-collar laborers and a senior citizen or two. Ah, the power of a well-made burger!

Jim

The courthouse across the street from Council's is under renovation. (Photo Jim Jones)

Dwayne Johnson stands in a hole in front of Council's where a water meter is being installed. (Photo Jim Jones)

Charlie Brown would be proud: the Great Pumpkin decorating contest

Shades of Tim Burton, Danny Elfman, the Cabbage Patch Kids and Charlie Brown.

How could anyone resist the fun of  Dr. Jeff Thompson's second pumpkin decorating contest.

The second-generation Bradenton orthodontist  provides and delivers pumpkins to more than 20 local dental offices. 

"We wanted to do something fun, unique and get the whole dental team involved. We have one rule, which is that they cannot cut, gut or carve the pumpkin. Other than that anything goes and it’s all about imagination. It’s been amazing to see all the creativity," he said in an email to the Herald.

" Two weeks prior to Halloween each of our patients vote on which pumpkin they feel is the most creatively decorated. We’ve seen everything from a red M&M to an aquarium, a beaver to Dracula, scuba diver to Jack Sparrow and a graveyard. They’ve all been incredible," he wrote.

The grand prize winner also gets their name engraved on a traveling custom made trophy,what he calls the Stanley Cup of pumpkin decorating."

 It brings the community and our local dental professionals together.  Then everybody’s a winner and smiling, he said.

This year's winner: Dr. Margaret Kirkland’s office.

Check out the gallery:

http://www.bradenton.com/2011/11/07/3632915/photo-gallery-dr-jeff-thompson.html#http://media.bradenton.com/smedia/2011/11/07/23/39/6e7uR.St.69.JPG

Calling all runners to Lakewood Ranch for Veterans Day Challenge

Manatee Technical Institute’s Law Enforcement Academy at Lakewood Ranch will hold its third annual 5K Veterans Day Challenge and one-mile walk on Saturday, Nov. 12.  Registration is at 7 a.m.; the race starts at 7:30 a.m.

The run is scheduled in honor of all veterans.  Law enforcement basic recruits will be running alongside all participants.  The funds raised will help send students to state and national SkillsUSA competition. 

Refreshments will be provided.  The first 100 to register will receive raceT-shirts.  Post-race chair massages will be available to all on a first-come, first-serve basis.   Pre-registration cost is $20; registration is $25 the day of the race.  A $5 discount applies to all veterans, military, police, fire rescue personnel, and students.  Register online at RunSignUp.com (a $2.50 fee applies).  

The race will be held at MTI East Campus, 5540 Lakewood Ranch Blvd. Information: Pat Proudler, 941-751-8479, ext. 2015, or proudlerp@manateeschools.net.

Event sponsors include On a Shoestring, Suncoast Striders Walking and Running Club, Publix, New Balance, S & R Uniforms, and Road Runners Club of America. 

Brunch on the Bay a winner

Rebecca Gutherz and Rick Fawley show their Bulls pride at the Brunch on the Bay event for USF Sarasota-Manatee. (photo Jim Jones)

So, this is what 1,000 folks under a circus tent look like, I thought.

It was the 18th annual Brunch on the Bay at the Powel Crosley Estate, located just to the west of USF Sarasota-Manatee on Sarasota Bay.

Impressive sight today, with folks from East Manatee to Anna Maria Island and points in between coming out for a really good meal (try lobster and flank steak before morning) and helping local students with scholarships to USF.

Among those from East Manatee I spotted were John Clarke, former CEO of Schroeder-Manatee Ranch; Anila Jain and her mother Mona; Eva Rey, executive director of the InterDistrict Authority at Lakewood Ranch; Ken and Judy Larrabee; Scott Rudacille and his wife Janae; and more.

For more, see Monday's Herald.

Jim

Got a smart phone? Get your Lakewood Ranch and East Manatee news on the go!

The new generation of smart phones puts the world at your disposal.

You can tweet, check your Facebook page, get travel directions with GPS, listen to your favorite music, make a web search, video something crazy you might have just seen, or take a photo.

Did I mention that, yes, you can even make a phone call?

What the smart phone does so well is to keep you in the loop, no matter where you may be.

We invite you to check out bradenton.com throughout the day for news of our local community. It's a robust, dynamic presentation of news, sports and entertainment.

For a sample of what anyone with a smart phone might see, here's a screen grab of the mobile version of the Lakewood Ranch webpage.

Check in often, let us know what you think. And we'd love to hear your news tips and suggestions for news coverage in general.

Jim

Pincher's promises to grab you

Developer Schroeder-Manatee Ranch has long sought to bring a traditional American seafood restaurant to Lakewood Ranch Main Street.

Now it has one.

 Pincher’s Crab Shack, what owner Greg Phelan calls the quintessential Southwest Florida seafood restaurant, is headed to Lakewood Ranch.

It's going into this vacant space next door to Lakewood Ranch Cinemas. For more, see Thursday's Herald.

New Goodwill donation center sets up shop in Lakewood Ranch

A little coaching for the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the opening of a Lakewood Ranch Goodwill donation center. (Photo by Jim Jones)

Once upon a time, Goodwill was a place where persons with disabilities and other barriers to employment went to find a job.

But with the the prolonged economic slump, there's now only one criteria to seek a job at Goodwill: to be unemployed, said The Rev. Mr. Donald L. Roberts, CEO of Goodwill Manasota.

Roberts made his remarks Tuesday at the opening of the Lakewood Ranch donation center at 9135 Town Center Parkway.

The new center is expected to take in 16,000 donations a year and to create 10 "sustainable" jobs, Roberts said.

For more, see Wednesday's Herald.