High time for a good time at Business After Hours

Spirits were flying high at the most recent Business After Hours event for the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce. 

The members ventured off the island to network at the Circus Arts Conservatory, where trapeze artists and fearless tumblers spun and flipped around them. A woman suspended from silks poured champagne — while upside-down — to wide-eyed attendees, and talented kids leaped from 30-foot high platforms to swing through the air. Aaron Watkins on stilts feigned sipping from champagne glasses with a comically long straw, and Debbie Shaffer dashed around with a bevy of red noses for photos. 

Eyes were trained mostly on the flips and leaps being done, and chatter turned to the early fall weather and the excitement of the island’s season coming up, but Andrew Vac spoke about the importance of local businesses and endeavors to support the arts like the Circus Arts Conservatory.