Some Longboat events still on after Helene, Milton

With two hurricanes back to back, many residents, business owners and leaders have expressed the time it will take to get the island back to normal. This doesn’t stop the season from coming around the corner. 

Here are a few events to look forward to after weeks of uncertainty and destruction of our paradise.

Interfaith Thanksgiving Worship Service

Photo by Petra Rivera

5 p.m. on Nov. 19. Location still to be determined.

Religious congregations on Longboat Key are hoping to spread joy after a hectic hurricane season. The six houses of worship on the Key will come together to celebrate their fellowship and unity on the island with a dinner and service the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. 

These churches include All Angels By the Sea Episcopal Church, Christ Church of Longboat Key, Longboat Island Chapel, St. Armands Key Lutheran Church, St. Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church and Temple Beth Israel. The service plans to provide financial support to All Faiths Food Bank. 

The Rev. Julia Piermont will finish her first year on the island as the preacher at this year’s Interfaith Thanksgiving Service. 

Light up Longboat

Photo by Lesley Dwyer

Nov. 29 at the Town Center Green, 600 Bay Isles Road

Tis the holidays as November comes along. The Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce host this free tree-lighting event every year with holiday music, raffles, food and a special guest, Santa Claus. You can also learn about multiple local nonprofits and how to get involved in the community.

Einstein's Compass: A Staged Play Reading

Photo by Petra Rivera

2 to 3:45 p.m. on Jan. 19 at the Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Rd.

Learn about the life of the man who revolutionized science at the beginning of the 20th century, Albert Einstein, in a staged play reading at the Education Center at Temple Beth Israel. Watch the Temple's very own Rabbi Stephen Sniderman read the leading role of Einstein as they take you through the struggles and discoveries he had starting when he was a child.  The play will dive into the opposition Einstein faced and the way that Germany's anti-Semitism transformed his view of his Jewish heritage. A lively audience discussion will follow.

Savor The Sounds

Photo by Petra Rivera

January, February and March at the Town Center Green, 600 Bay Isles Road

Local bands play every year on Longboat Key for everyone's favorite outdoor concerts on the island. Longboaters can enjoy the Florida winter air with a picnic at this event and enjoy music that will bring through your favorite decades and modern hits. Last year, the lineup included Kettle of Fish, SoulRcoaster and Yesterdayze. The three bands brought a variety of tunes from genres such as reggae, Motown, blues, jazz, disco, country and soul. 

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe performance

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7:30 to 8:30 p.m. March 9 at the Education Center at Temple Beth Israel, 567 Bay Isles Rd.

Sarasota's own Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe will perform its original musical "Soul Man" at Temple Beth Israel, which celebrates the music from the late 1960s. It touches on how black music evolved during the Civil Rights movement through powerful soloists such as James Brown, Otis Redding, Jackie Wilson and Sam Cooke. Program manager Susan Goldfarb said it is one of the most attended programs of the year.