The Broadway Beach access is the route for the current beach project that includes trucks of sugar sand being placed north from Broadway along the beach uplands to the 360 North Condominium.

The following homes were under contract on Longboat Key from April 22 to April 28

Big Band Swing in the Museum of Art Courtyard by Alan Zahn Orchestra May 6 at the John & Mable Ringling Museum Courtyard, 5401 Bay Shore Road, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. $10 for lawn seating, $15 for reserved seating. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Free parking at FSU Center for Performing Arts. Reservations recommended. Call 941-358-3180.

Sarasota County, in partnership with the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD), has approved the purchase of the 3,900-acre Longino Ranch, completing a five-year process to create one of the largest protected areas for eco-tourism on the gulf coast.

This week the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) began constructing welcome signs to Longboat Key at the north and south end of Gulf of Mexico Drive.

This 5,114-square-foot residence set in Bay Isle’s Harbor Section boasts four bedrooms plus den and six full baths. Upgrades include new driveway pavers, windows and doors. Other features include diagonal set travertine Saturnia marble flooring including baseboards and wood crown molding.

The Artists Guild of Anna Maria Island is featuring the student of the month for May, Megan Greer, a Palmetto High School senior. Megan’s artwork is a coil pot and she is enrolled in 3-D art. Her future plans include attending State College of Florida and then Interior Design at Ringling College to pursue a career as an Imagineer for Disney.

Longboat Island Chapel on Longboat Key is bigger than its name but small enough to be up close, personal and compassionate. One of its many outreach programs is Bradenton’s Bill Galvano One-Stop Center.

The night of April 25 was a special day at the Opera House. Key Chorale celebrated its 25th Anniversary with a concert “Living Music by Living Composers” filled with special music by many of America’s finest composers.

The Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs has been held in Louisville, Kentucky, since 1875. This year marks the event’s 136th anniversary. Recent Longboat Key Commission contender and long-time Longboater Lee Pokoik said he is looking forward to watching the race at the Sarasota Yacht Club, where he says he will enjoy a mint julep and a first-rate seat.