Hundreds celebrate Chanukah on Lakewood Ranch Main Street

By Lesley Dwyer
| 10:00 a.m. December 8, 2023

East County
Neighbors

Music and bubbles were in the air for the annual Chanukah on Main Street celebration.

The Spheres Bubble Show sent every size and shape of bubble floating down Lakewood Ranch Main Street on Dec. 7. Both kids and adults were jumping in the air to pop them, especially the white bubbles. Those popped into puffs of smoke.

The Rappin' Rockin' Reggae Rabbi Dr. Laz took care of the music. He sang everything from “The Dreidel Song” to Bob Marley.

Maimon Levy attends the event every year and explained why fried foods are eaten during Chanukah.

“The reason for that is the miracle of oil,” he said. “The oil lasted for eight days.”

Chanukah is a celebration of the Maccabees over the Syrian Greeks in 164 B.C. Oil that should’ve only kept the candle burning one night burned for eight.

While the evening was fun and festive, the current situation in Israel was not far from anyone’s mind. Guests wrote messages on tea lights, which were positioned to form the Star of David.

“In my lifetime, I’ve never seen tougher days for the Jewish community since Oct. 7,” said Shepard Englander, the CEO of the Jewish Federation. “It’s great to have a chance to have something to celebrate now. We need to do both. We need to celebrate. We need to be together."

Lakewood Ranch Main Street is overtaken by bubbles on Dec. 7 for Chanukah on Main Street.

Maimon Levy and Alice Pasternack say the Chanukah on Main Street event gets bigger every year.

Leba Howitt-Vallone hands out art kits to the kids. The end result looks like a Lite Brite except the lights are stickers.

Adley, Shayna and Asher Resnick decorate donuts.

Emilia Barnhart stops dancing to show off her balloon.

Guests write on candles for Israel. The candles are laid out as a Star of David.

Borat Sagdiyev hands out dreidels dressed as a Maccabee.

Blaise Ryndes waves his bubble wand. The Spheres Bubble Show was featured on "America's Got Talent."

Aubrie Ross, 2, lets her balloon sword take the lead as she inches closer to the smoke machine.

Gannon Weiner and Katerina Maslowski share a laugh and some falafels.

The Rappin' Rockin' Reggae Rabbi Dr. Laz performs for the crowd.

author

Lesley Dwyer

Lesley Dwyer is a staff writer for East County and a graduate of the University of South Florida. After earning a bachelor’s degree in professional and technical writing, she freelanced for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Lesley has lived in the Sarasota area for over 25 years.