New activity pitched for Lakewood Ranch residents

It would be safe to assume Keith Pandeloglou, the director of Lakewood Ranch Community Activities, doesn't have a Coleman stove, an Orzark tent or an L.L. Bean sleeping bag at home in his closet.

However, those things might be on his Christmas wish list.

As Pandeloglou has met with Lakewood Ranch Community Development District (CDD) board members, Inter-District Authority (IDA) executives and local residents, he has floated some new ideas for the Community Activities calendar for 2019.

One idea that appears to be on its way to becoming an reality is a community campout.

"We've done so many traditional things. this would be something new," Pandeloglou said. "It would be a different kind of experience."

It especially would be a different kind of experience for Pandeloglou.

"Camping? I don't know what I am doing," Pandeloglou said with a laugh. "I've never been camping."

Because he hasn't pitched a tent himself, or run a similar event in the past, Pandeloglou said he is looking into professional groups that put together such events. Above all else, he wants to identify any possible safety concerns.

The idea would be a use one of Lakewood Ranch's community parks, such as the Greenbrook Adventure Park, Bob Gardner Park or Summerville Community Park to host the event. The expectations would be those who lived closest to the park might walk over from their home, bringing their camping equipment and setting up.

Whether such an event would include things such as a bonfire or live music continues to be discussed. The general idea, however, has received an enthusiastic response and Pandeloglou said the initial community campout could happen as early as this spring.

"We want to be working more with the residents and the HOAs," Pandeloglou said. "A campout is the kind of thing we have been talking about.'"

Pandeloglou said another idea that has come up is concerts in the park. Again, he said the idea would be to schedule an event in one of the community parks and the focus would be on attracting those from the adjacent communities. "Could it be something where families would walk to the Adventure Park, or Bob Gardner or Summerville? We hope so," Pandeloglou said. "It would be more of a neighborhood focus."

Pandeloglou said he is getting additional feedback from Anne Ross, the Lakewood Ranch Town Hall executive director, Monaca Onstad.

While a campout and concerts in the park could be added to the Lakewood Ranch Community Activities schedule, Pandeloglou said Taste of the Ranch probably will be scrapped. The initial Taste of the Ranch was held in April and was billed as a hyper-local food-and-wine event that came with a $50 ticket. It was met with an underwhelming response.

Whether it is a campout or a concert in the park, or Taste of the Ranch, Pandeloglou said the idea with the events will be to start small before the community confirms its interest, or lack of.

He said either a campout or a concert might draw "a couple of hundred residents."

Pandeloglou expected the new ideas to be finalized within a month. Funding is at the top of the concerns.

"Ultimately, whenever we are thinking about these things, I am thinking about 2030," Pandeloglou said. "How do we finance these things if we don't have SMR (Schroeder-Manatee Ranch) as a major sponsor?"

Pandeloglou said his most important task is to get residents involved in telling him what they want.

He can get some of that feedback if a campout is held because he plans to make his camping debut. He said he wouldn't try to sneak away after dark to get a good night's sleep at his Lakewood Ranch home.

"I feel like I need to be there," he said with a smile.