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Debby McClung and Irina LaRose.
Elves Henriette Van Eck and Martin Poretsky and Santa Claus Nancy Rozance with Mary Harper and Carol Peschel.
Mike and Suzi Conner with grandkids Hanna and Emelia Herdliska.
Richard Perlman drops off a gift at the Rotary Club of Longboat Key.
Alexandre Kirkland with Santa and the elves.
Adam Kirkland, Genevieve Pageau and Alexandre Kirkland.
Pappi the puppy posed for a closeup.
Casey couldn't keep still.
Kip O'Neill, Susan Tone, Susan Phillips, Susan Landau and Phyllis Black of the Garden Club of Longboat Key and their poinsettias.
Franchesca and Izzadora got strolled around.
Santa dances with Emelia Herdliska.
Elaine, Lorraine and Larry Ziff.
The pile of presents builds for the Rotary Club of Longboat Key.
The elves took to the dance floor.
The Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce's table offered snacks and a peek at the next event in the space, Savor the Sounds.
Santa delights the crowd with a dance.
Bob and Carol Erker, Linn Torres and Russ Callahan.
Where Santa was, a crowd of kids wasn't far.
Suzy Brenner gets some love from Lahni.
Tom Harmer addresses the crowd.
Kids gather beneath the tree.
Scott, MJ, Chelsea, Ellie and Ken Schneier.
Alanha, Lexi and Tahniya Smith.
The trees in all their splendor.
Linn Torres and Nancy Rozance, standing in as Santa.
Josh Falcon, Jamison Urch, Kerri Brooks, Jason Berzowski and Bryan Carr pose with Santa.
Jim and Lynn Larson at the Kiwanis Club table.
The town of Longboat Key de“light”ed residents with a tree-mendous lighting event, known as Light Up Longboat, on Saturday, Nov. 30.
On the spot where the Amore Restaurant used to be, more than 100 adults, kids and dogs gathered for a neighborly meet-and-greet.
“You can see people really enjoy having a town center, having a place to gather like this,” said Carol Erker, who attended the event with the Rotary Club of Longboat Key.
Folks mingled in the space, enjoying snacks, drinks and holiday cheer with live music wafting through the crowd. Away from the crowd near the tents set up by organizations around town, families sat under the to-be-lit tree and kids chased each other around the trees' trunks.
The Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce was present as the sponsor of the community-driven event. Several island organizations set up tents at the event to raise money for their causes, as was the case of the Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key and their Dec. 7 Lawn Party to benefit All-Star Children Foundation, to share their mission and reach out to the community as the Paradise Center of Longboat Key did or to chat with friends and sell a few poinsettias like the Garden Club of Longboat Key.
Santa Claus made an appearance with a few elves, and kids and adults alike flocked to the area for their Selfie with Santa. A few wish lists made it into Santa’s pockets from visiting children.
“Santa” was actually the Rotary Club of Longboat Key president Nancy Rozance, seated near her club as residents came to their table to donate toys and gifts for the club’s annual Toy Drive, which will be wrapped and donated to children of migrant workers in Arcadia.
Once it was time for the big reveal, town manager Tom Harmer pressed the button … and waited. Chamber of Commerce president Gail Loefgren came to assist with the technical difficulty and soon, Longboat Key’s bright Christmas was a reality.
The town of Longboat Key also addressed the future of the space and more events there in the future, indicating that like the tree, the future of the town center idea was bright.
“This is just the beginning,” Harmer said. “People have been asking for years to do something else like this.”
