News Briefs

+ Chalk Festival founder chosen as judge
Denise Kowal, founder of the Sarasota Chalk Festival, has been invited for a second year to judge Grazie di Curtatone 24-hour Madonnari Competition in Mantua, Italy. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the festival.

The Grazie di Curtatone was the first street painting festival in the world responsible for preserving the art form that almost vanished after World War II. Each year, the festival invites 150 artists to compete in three categories. Only one artist is advanced from each category and the winner is named a Maetra Madonnara (female) or Maestro Madonnaro (male). This is the highest honor any pavement artist can receive and has been sought by thousands of artists over the 40-year history of the festival.

The Sarasota Chalk Festival honored the Grazie event during their 2011 Sarasota Chalk Festival.

The festival has only invited a foreigner to be a judge one other time in its 40 years.

+ Suncoast Communities Blood Bank reaches goal
Suncoast Communities Blood Bank (SCBB) has reached its fundraising goal of $71,000 for the purchase of a flow cytometer. Fundraising was initiated by a $30,000 challenge grant awarded by the Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation in January.

The instrument will allow the automation of blood cell assessment that is currently being done manually.

A $20,000 matching grant from the Charlotte P. Graver Fund of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, $16,000 from the Florida Cancer Specialists and Research Foundation and $5,100 from individual gifts through The Giving Partner 36-Hour Giving Challenge, completed the initiative

+ Indoor football team coming to Sarasota
The Ultimate Indoor Football League (UIFL) has announced that its third expansion team for 2013 is coming to Sarasota. The team will be called the Sarasota Thunder. The Thunder will play seven home games a year at Robarts Arena.

A press conference will be held 2 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 16, at Robarts Arena, 3000 Ringling Blvd., to announce the ownership group, ticket prices and other team details.

The Thunder joins the Missouri Monsters (St. Charles, Mo.), and Indianapolis Panthers as expansion teams for the 2013 season. The UIFL will be announcing the final expansion teams over the next 60 days.