Longboat gears up for 70th anniversary celebration

The Nov. 8 festivities recognize both the town's veterans and its 70th anniversary with musical tributes and guest speakers.

By Dana Kampa
| 5:00 a.m. November 5, 2025

Longboat Key Town Manager, Howard Tipton, speaks in 2023 while honoring veterans on Veterans Day.

Longboat Key
Neighbors

With seven decades of history to celebrate, the town of Longboat Key is preparing to host a spectacular show of municipal pride next week, while also uplifting the community's veterans.

The town is hosting a 70th anniversary and Veterans Day bash on Nov. 8 at the Town Center Green.

Attendees will enjoy the talents of jazz musicians Michael J. Ross & Company, along with a full program about the town's history and future.

Participants can also enjoy light refreshments from Gold Coast Eagle Distributing, Harry's Continental Kitchen and The Resort at Longboat Key Club. There will also be opportunities to connect with local organizations.

Longboat Key Town Commissioner B.J. Bishop said she looks forward to the multi-part celebration.

"Since we haven't had rain in about 10 months — it feels like — it better not rain Saturday," she joked.

Previous town anniversaries have welcomed large crowds of celebrants. More than 500 people with ties to Longboat Key attended the 60th anniversary at Bayfront Park.

Program rundown

Town Manager Howard Tipton is set to open the show, followed by a presentation of colors by the Sarasota High School Color Guard.

Tipton said this year's celebration will be especially meaningful as it coordinates with the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army.

Charlie Mopps, public works director and former service member, will then lead the Pledge of Allegiance and the national anthem with accompanying vocals by Alyssa Adamson and Brian Gurl.

Rev. Brock Patterson of Longboat Island Chapel will lead the invocation.

Then-Sarasota County Commissioner Alan Maio, Longboat Key Mayor Jack Duncan and Steven Branham celebrate the town's 60th anniversary. Town officials have set a date of Nov. 8 for this year's 70th anniversary festivities.

The afternoon of activities also include special remarks from Commissioner Steve Branham, who is also a retired U.S. Coast Guard rear admiral, and Mayor Ken Schneier. This year's community partner presenter is the Rotary Club of Longboat Key.

Attendees will have the chance to contribute to honoring local veterans as well with military service sing-alongs for the main service branches.

"One of our most consistent community partners, the Rotary Club, will be leading the singing of the service anthems as part of our salute to our veterans," Tipton added. "We look forward to a good time and hope everybody can attend."

A look back

Pre-1500s: Indigenous Timucuan and Caloosa people frequented the island for hundreds of years.
1539: Hernando DeSoto reportedly passed through aboard a "longboat."
Late 1880s: Civil War veteran Thomas Mann settled on the north end of the key in 1882, building the first permanent home on the island; the homestead grant covered 144 acres near the present-day Spanish Main Yacht Club.
Early 1900s: Homebuilders expanded throughout the north end of the island; John Savarese of Tampa built another early home; others built still-standing concrete block homes.
1921: A large-scale hurricane leveled Savarese's home and others, along with a sizable town dock at the end of Broadway — a dirt road running from the Bay to the Guff — that serviced steamships.
1923: The construction of the original bridge over Longboat Pass; the foundations remain to this day.
1940s: U.S. Army Air Corps set up bombing targets near the area in the World War II era.
Nov. 14, 1955: The Town of Longboat Key incorporates.
1959: The construction of the present-day bridge on the north end.
1960-70s: Development peaks, and builders create the first condominium, Longboat Key Towers.
Late 1970s: Town commissioners tighten zoning and approve infrastructure, including water and sewage.
Nov. 8, 2025: The Town of Longboat Key will celebrate its 70th anniversary, Veterans Day, and 250 years of United States military service.

Information courtesy of the Longboat Key Historical Society

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.