2017 Snapshots of East County

Blue Oyster Cult was the headline act at Thunder by the Bay in January, which was one and done in Lakewood Ranch before deciding to return to Sarasota in 2018.

The Manatee County fair opened in January with animal showmanship, live entertainment, midway rides and family festivities.

Performers on Feb. 5 during "Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy."

Bearadise owner Johnny D. Welde died Jan. 25 at 60 but his wife Monica vows the Myakka City landmark will continue to thrive.

Polo ponies raced across the field Jan. 8 at the Sarasota Polo Club for the start of the polo season.

Each year in late February, cowboys from Schroeder-Manatee Ranch and the Sarasota Polo Club test their riding skills.

Braden River Elementary School fourth-grade teacher Nicholas Leduc earned the tile of Educator of the Year on March 8.

On March 12, East County's Michelle Statdfield participated in her second state record-setting jump from an airplane while wearing a wingsuit.

Five-year-old Charlotte Bass was princess for a day May 3 at the Ritz Carlton Members Golf Club in Lakewood Ranch.

More than 750 paddlers and 30 teams from around the United States participated in the June 3 Suncoast International Dragon Boat Festival.

Lakewood Ranch developer Schroeder-Manatee Ranch offered to sell the Premier Sports Campus on June 14 to Manatee County for $5.2 million.

Ric Romanoff, a University Park pilot, takes off June 24 with Malcom Moniz in a two-seat Vans RV 12 plane.

Nate's Honor Animal Rescue endured flooding from Tropical Storm Emily that left 70 dogs and cats looking for temporary homes. Sisters Donna Arnold and Sharry Lueck fostered Bullet, a Chihuahua, before adopting him full time.

Windsor Reflections residents Bob Barton and Mary Sue Hudgens work with plants Aug. 10.

Switzerland's Patricia Merz collapses in agony after her fourth-place finish in the Lightweight Women's Single Sculls during the 2017 World Rowing Championships in September.

Hurricane Irma turned the lives of residents upside down in September even though East County was spared the worst of its wrath.

This sign at Ray's Canoe Hideway explains the situation may business owners suffered after Hurricane Irma.

Tommy Klauber of the Polo Grill and Bar gets a free case of Budweiser from a wagon pulled by the famous Clydesdales on Lakewood Ranch Main Street Oct. 12.

The long-awaited Fort Hamer Bridge officially opened on Oct. 18, following more than a century of debate and a delay from Hurricane Irma.

Romeo the peacock was shot while roaming Mill Creek, but he recovered thanks to contributions from neighborhood residents who paid his veterinary bills.

Fighting ALS didn't stop Lake Club's Kevin Swan from proposing to Shaina Fisch on Oct. 28 in a ceremony featuring the Southeast High School marching band.

Greekbrook's Drew Stuart showed off his creativity during the Lakewood Ranch Creative Arts Association Fall Show and Sale Nov. 18.

Cincinnati's Bonnie Burchwell, left, and Lakewood Ranch's Kim Grimme check out selections at the new market at Lakewood Ranch, which opened Dec. 6.