News Briefs

+ Crystal Classic tries cross-promotion
Attendees at Springfest at Palmer Ranch March 2 will be in for a sandy surprise.

Sandsculptors will practice their craft at a booth under the banner of the Siesta Key Crystal Classic Master Sand Sculpting Competition as part of a cross-marketing effort between the two events, according to Springfest organizer Eliza Culverhouse.

Lourdes Ramirez, member of the Crystal Classic steering committee, said the goal is to reach a wider audience on the mainland to buffer attendance at the sandsculpting competition, which happens eight months later.

Springfest, similarly, will have a booth at the Crystal Classic, which Culverhouse expects to as much as double the attendance at Springfest 2013 to between 5,000 and 6,000 people.

+ Commission chambers to get A/V upgrade
Sarasota County is asking for bids on a major upgrade of audio and visual equipment for the County Commission, which includes high-definition LCD flat-screen televisions, cameras and a speaker in the bathroom of the commissioners’ lounge.

The effort is, in part, to catch up technologically and to improve community outreach, said Sarasota County Communications staff member Crystal Pruitt.

“It would be nice if it could happen tomorrow, but it’s going to be a work in progress,” Pruitt said.

Meetings & Agendas
• Siesta Key Association meeting — 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1, St. Boniface Episcopal Church, 5615 Midnight Pass Road, Siesta Key
• Siesta Key Village Association meeting — 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 6, Daiquiri Deck Raw Bar, 5250 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key
• Sarasota County Commission meeting — 9 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 6, R.L. Anderson Building, 4000 S. Tamiami Trail, Venice
• Planning Commission public hearing — 6 30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, Administration Building, Commission Chambers, 1660 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota
• Sarasota County Commission meeting — 9 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7, Administration Building, Commission Chambers, 1660 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota