Big Waters Land Trust brings Party to Paradise

Conservation-minded community members and artists enjoyed the return of the annual Party in Paradise to Bay Preserve.

By Dana Kampa
| 5:26 p.m. November 10, 2025

Lorene Miller and Patti Tebo pose for the photo booth at Party in Paradise on Nov. 8, benefitting Big Waters Land Trust.

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What: Party in Paradise

Benefiting: Big Waters Land Trust

When: Nov. 8

Where: Bay Preserve on Little Sarasota Bay

Big Water Land Trust Community Education Manager Sarah Denison Williams, Director of Philanthropy Shalla Ashworth and President Christine Johnson speak to the organization's conservation mission at Party in Paradise on Nov. 8 at the Bay Preserve on Little Sarasota Bay.

Neil Kilbane, attending Party in Paradise with Caroline Kilbane, places a leaf in an interactive "gratitude mosaic" at the fundraiser for Big Waters Land Trust.

Mike Donaldson, Elida Ramburger, Kathy Freitas, Mike Knupp, Carmen Lawrence and Larry Lawrence

Saoirse Ibargüen depicts the full moon at the entrance to Party in Paradise.

Lauren Marshall, one of the primary artists featured at the Party in Paradise Midnight Bazaar, says she appreciates uniting her passion for conservation and fine art.

Big Waters Land Trust volunteers Marie Baumann and Carol Joseph demonstrate to Party in Paradise-goers how to craft a hand-rolled beeswax candle.

Big Waters Land Trust President Christine Johnson

Artist Tim Jaeger does a live painting inspired by the Myakka Headwaters Preserve.

Party in Paradise returned to the Bay Preserve on Little Sarasota Bay this year.

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.