Lawn Party serves Longboat's best dishes

The seventh annual Longboat Key Kiwanis Lawn Party featured 28 restaurants.

By Katie Johns
| 6:00 p.m. December 2, 2017

Longboat Key
Neighbors

The Longboat Key Kiwanis Club Lawn Party dished out the best
in fun and food Dec. 2.

Eventgoers piled their trays high with dishes and drinks from 27 local restaurants including The Lazy Lobster, Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant and Pub, Anna Maria Oyster Bar and Dry Dock Waterfront Grill.

The seventh annual event, which took place on the Islandside Driving Range of the Longboat Key Club, brought together the Longboat Key community for an afternoon of food, live music and socializing.

“Steve was in charge of the weather, and he did outstanding,” event chairman Bob Gault joked about club President Steve Branham and the warm, clear day.

The two called the event excellent and said it couldn’t have been done without the help of fellow volunteers, especially Michael Garey. Garey, co-owner and operator of The Lazy Lobster, chaired the event from 2014-2016.

Meet the winner

A few days after the Lawn Party, Jill and John Raleigh are still in shock.

“We just keep pinching ourselves,” Jill Raleigh said.

Jill Raleigh, director of advertising and marketing for Observer Media Group, was the winner of the $20,000 cash prize in the raffle.

Raleigh is happy that she won the prize around this time of year because she feels that local organizations have a greater need around the holidays.

“We spent time this weekend thinking about what we can do and where we can give because it’s the holidays,” Raleigh said.

The Raleighs recently celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary and planned to take a trip in celebration, but Hurricane Irma ruined their plans when it left water and tree damage at their home. They had to use some of their money for the trip to fix the damage, but now the trip plans are back in action. They are planning to go to Greece.

“Our plan is to try and use some of it for our anniversary trip,” Raleigh said.

“He established the model the last three years, and we learned from him,” Gault said.

The event, one of Longboat’s signature parties, has a bigger purpose beyond an afternoon of fun.

The money raised through the Lawn Party goes toward Longboat Key Kiwanis Foundation scholarships. Each year the foundation awards 30-35 local students with academic and technical-school scholarships.

“Kids need a start, and that’s what we do,” Gault said.