Second Town Green open house on Longboat Key unites community

By Dana Kampa
| 7:30 a.m. March 11, 2025

Longboat Key
Neighbors

Under exceptionally sunny skies and to the tunes of the Route 41 Band, community members had the opportunity to pick up a free book, get their pet blessed by Father David Marshall of All Angels Episcopal Church, collect a plastic fire hat for their little ones, or take advantage of the other multitude of services offered to the public.

Organizers collaborated to hold the second Longboat community open house at the Karon Family Pavilion on Saturday and received an early afternoon rush of curious residents.

Event-goer Michelle Johnson said she was grateful so many local nonprofits, businesses, religious organizations and other key players in the community gave their time to the open house.

"So many times, people are in their own lanes, so to see everyone come together is great," she said.

The event comes at an especially good time for Longboat Key Turtle Watch, which drew plenty of viewers to its booth with a display of an immense turtle shell that was donated for educational purposes after the boat-struck animal died.

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Leo Kissling reminds busy boaters that as they enjoy the mild mid-winter weather, they need to keep a close eye out to avoid striking turtles near the water's surface.

He offered a few helpful tips to listeners, including captains should be vigilant about wearing polarized sunglasses and mindful of their speed in shallow waters.

Volunteers are gearing up for their usual, very highly attended, turtle walk on April 15, which precedes the main turtle season by a few weeks. Those interested in joining the watch can visit LBKTurtleWatch.com.

Another big draw at the open house was the pet blessing accompanied by the musical styling of bell-playing members at All Angels.

Small business owners, including Stephanie Tonge of Longboat Lashes & Skincare and Amber Swartz, said they appreciated having an opportunity to connect with community members.

Resident Lenny Nelson, who said he was pleasantly surprised by the community open house, picks up a free book and checks out other local resources.

Lily Tonge, a sheepadoodle brought to the open house by owner Stephanie Tonge, bows and accepts a treat while getting a pet blessing from Father David Marshall of All Angels Episcopal Church.

Jessica Gil and Cora Schaeff run the pop-up library at last weekend's open house.

Sgt. Tom Puccio, Chief Frank Rubino, Officer Mike Mathis, Front Desk Ivan Zunz, Officer Dallas Troyer and Sgt. Adam Montfort

Youngsters at the open house especially enjoyed their exclusive look into the Longboat Key Fire Department's newest rig.

Tara Peta, Tina Adams, Brandon Desch, Denny Bickel, Brent Kruse, Chief Paul Dezzi and Asst. Chief Martin Szalbirak

Carlyn Vigil, Suzy Mitchell and Karey Kaine welcome visitors to the Longboat Key Turtle Watch booth.

author

Dana Kampa

Dana Kampa is the Longboat Key neighbors reporter for the Observer. She first ventured into journalism in her home state of Wisconsin, going on to report community stories everywhere from the snowy mountains of Washington State to the sunny shores of the Caribbean. She has been a writer and photographer for more than a decade, covering what matters most to readers.