- April 26, 2024
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John Rinell provided the entertainment for the evening.
Susan Claudio, right, checks attendees in.
Tory Newman, Larry Bateman and Christine Filkins get ready to set up their picnic party.
John Macumber and Charlie Geiger caught up at the party.
Jim Owen and Mike McNeil chatted after setting up their chairs.
Jeanne Sherwood, Alice Jorgenson and Rosie Stieber head to their picnic setup.
Carol and George Beddie head to find their friends.
About 100 residents came over to get the party started.
Gail Gilvey, Joanne Vinci, Maureen Shea, Mary Jean Drugan and Susan Claudio checked attendees in.
Mary and Rob Dice brought drinks over in a cooler.
Bob Munoz and Joe Sever caught up as the party got underway.
Tom and June Morse get the dance party started.
Jack Sullivan unloaded pizza from the van.
Phil and Susan Martin wait for pizza.
Cindy Ritchell, Dawna Goodwin, Jack Goodwin and Herb Ritchell set up their picnic spot together.
Volunteers served up slices.
Every few minutes, a handful of residents from Longboat Harbour would cross Gulf of Mexico Drive, often lugging coolers and holding drinks, to make their way to the community's beach access. Before long, the parking lot of the space had transformed into a pizza party paradise as about 100 residents set up chairs, tables and more for the annual event.
On April 21, the community celebrated another busy snowbird season with their signature event. The pizza party has been held for more than 30 years, said social committee member Mary Jean Drugan, and different residents organize it every year. This year, Maureen and John Shea had the honors of wrangling the party together.
Attendees checked in, coolers in hand, and made their way to the main party spot. Friend groups developed clusters of chairs throughout the evening, and a dance floor even sprouted as guitarist John Rinell provided tunes. Before long, 52 pizzas from Joey D's in Sarasota lined the tables and residents flocked to them.
