Longboaters make adjustments

Long lines at the store checkout counters and hard-to-find grocery staples.  Restrictions, postponements and cancellations.  Restaurants spreading out tables to keep patrons separated.  Word that a neighbor has been taken ill with coronavirus.

Life in Longboat Key has taken a big turn over the last few days as governments, organizations, residents and visitors race to keep up and with a rapidly evolving circumstances surrounding the spread of the coronavirus. 

"Last week, I had never heard 'social distancing,'' said Robert Armstrong, a college-aged visitor from Maryland, standing in line at Longboat Key's Publix, pushing a cart brimming with easy-to-cook foods such as instant macaroni-and-cheese and frozen chicken strips. "Now, I'm supposed to be an expert. Well, here's my best shot.''

Here's a snapshot of life on Longboat over the last few days. 

Churches  

Virtually every house of worship in town has changed what typical gatherings look like.

At  Christ Church of Longboat Key,  Pastor Norman Pritchard held a Sunday morning service with just a handful of people attending. The church was supposed to be empty, but a few people didn't get the message and weren't turned away. 

The service was live streamed.

“After the live streaming [on Sunday], a number of members contacted me and said, ‘it was very different, but we enjoyed being able to worship, and we are glad that Christ Church took the decision it took.’”

Temple Beth Israel announced Sunday that it will cancel all in-person services through at least April.

TBI will record a sermon each week, delivered by Rabbi Stephen Sniderman,  and upload it to Sniderman’s Facebook page.

At St. Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Church, in-person Mass will continue for the time being. the 11:30 a.m. mass on Sunday, March 15, about 100 people attended. Most pews held one or two families, who typically sat far apart. 

“The Bishop said if you don’t feel you want to come to mass, you are exempt from the obligation, but we will still be having mass,” Father Phil Schweda said.

Out and about (or not) 

From one end of the island to the other, social gatherings were replaced with something far more distant. 

“We are pretty much finished for the season,” Longboat Key Education Center director Susan Goldfarb wrote in an email. “This is devastating in every way.”

As of March 17, the only continuing courses there are a birding class, a watercolor class and a ceramics class that will all meet one more time. 

At Seaplace,  a resident pool party was cancelled. An April event is still up in the air.  “Our community is very caring and vigilant and understand that the cancellation was necessary and we have had no complaints,” social committee member Mary Del Pup wrote. “It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

A popular St. Patrick's Day parade at Twin Shores was cancelled.

At The Paradise Center, it's not business as usual, but the organization remains open. 

“One piece of our mission is to provide socialization and we want to continue that in a safe way,” executive director Suzy Brenner said. 

Brenner said they’ve been “going crazy” with Lysol wipe and moving classes such as yoga and Stretch and Strengthen outside. On Monday, those classes had three and four students, respectively. As long as students aren’t sick, they’re welcome to come to classes. 

“Social distancing is important, but we can do that. You don't need to be right next to somebody to exercise

Visitors got the feel something different was up, as well. Kathy and Dan Missildine are visiting  for their third consecutive week. “We’re just hanging down here because we think the sunshine and the salt air are the safest place,” Kathy Missildine said. “We’re quarantining ourselves in this beautiful place.”

Businesses

Gail Loefgren, the president of the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce, was spreading the word about Gov. Ron DeSantis’ activation of small business bridge loans, which were previously used during red tide. 

“I think we're going to have to get creative on how we stay apart and yet support each other,” Chamber president Gail Loefgren said. “Because our job really now is to support our members with information and supporting employees.”

Loefgren can stay remotely connected with the chamber’s members and will be thinking about creative ways to support local businesses. One popular tip is to buy gift cards to make a promise to patronize your favorite local shop later, or utilize local restaurants’ delivery and takeout options. 

“I think we all need to try because we are so community-minded and we certainly don't want to lose anybody that we have,” Loefgren said. “we just need to figure out ways to interact with our businesses in the best way possible and still follow the CDC guidelines.”

At Lazy Lobster, one of the town's most visible restaurants, owner Michael Garey was busy resetting his dining room to conform to a statewide edict to cut capacity by half and spread seating out so tables are more than six feet apart. He’s also added a bathroom attendant to keep surfaces such as faucets and toilets as clean as possible.

Election Day 

Eileen Kamerick was determined to cast her ballot during Tuesday’s presidential primary and local election. And the Green Bay Packers helped.

The Iowa native voted for Joe Biden in the Democratic primary at Longboat Key Town Hall wearing Green Bay Packers gloves because of her concerns about the coronavirus threat.

“Well, I talked to my brother who worked in health care and I said, ‘I don't have any gloves and I'm afraid to go vote, but I feel like I really need to vote,’” Kamerick said. “I said, ‘I don't have medical gloves.’ He goes, ‘you can wear gardening gloves. Just wear any gloves.’'

“The idea is just to wear gloves and not touch your face.”

Big ticket cancellations

Among the large events off the calendar for now: 

The Longboat Key Garden Club’s Dinner and a Movie, planned for Friday, March 20; The annual Town Hall Art Reception, originally planned for Tuesday, March 24; Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce’s second installment of Savor the Sounds, planned for Saturday, March 28; Two events at the Public Tennis Center planned for Friday, April 3.

A Town Commission special meeting on March 23 has been cancelled, as have interviews with candidates for a Planning and Zoning Board opening. A Planning and Zoning Board meeting has been cancelled for March 31.

Play of pickleball and tennis at Bayfront Park is cancelled.  The park remains open, though. 

Reported by Mark Bergin, Nat Kaemmerer, Brendan Lavell and Eric Garwood, of the Longboat Observer staff