The year is 1927. Sarasota’s most elite socialites are dressed in their finest gowns and furs to celebrate the opening of the city’s new opera house. As party guests mingle and enjoy cocktails, a scream pierces the room. The opera director has been murdered. Police investigator Peter Sharp springs from his seat.

“There’s been a murder, and nobody is to leave this building until we find the killer,” he says. “One of our special party guests is a murderer.”

The dramatic scene is part of the Sarasota Bay Club’s murder-mystery dinner, “Murder at the Opera.” The performance is part of the independent retirement living center’s extended programming. Sarasota Bay Club residents wrote the original script and performed the characters, whose names included clever nods to musical terms and cultural references. Character names, such as Merle Pesta, Allegra Tempo and Vera Got DuGold, drew laughs from the residents.

Click here to read the full article.

Sarasota is recognized as Florida's Cultural Coast and is home to a professional symphony, ballet and opera. In addition, more than 10 theaters and 30 art galleries are located in Sarasota.

The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art is Florida's State Museum, and the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, known for its architecture and great acoustics, seats 1,700 people and features a dazzling season of music, shows and programs for all ages. 

From circus museums to a year-round spring with 87-degree water, Sarasota has a variety of attractions. You can explore Mote Marine Laboratory, G.WIZ (Gulfcoast Wonder & Imagination Zone), Historic Spanish Point, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota Jungle Gardens, Warm Mineral Springs, Pelican Man's Bird Sanctuary, and more.

Our residents take trips to visit all of these popular and award-winning sites many times a month. Take a look at our calendar of events to see what we have coming up!

Click here to read more... http://www.scenesarasota.com/home/291-living-the-good-lifeat-any-age.html 

To celebrate a milestone birthday, Sarasota physicians Brad Lerner and Louis Cohen sponsored the training of a Southeastern Guide Dog puppy. These dogs are raised to serve those with sight limitations.  The sponsorship was in honor of SBC resident Ursula Pearson's 100th birthday. Shown, Marianne Cohen introduces the yellow lab puppy, "Pearson" to Ursula.

May is a beautiful month in Sarasota, and this May SBC took advantage of our setting on Sarasota Bay with a Hawaiian Luau evening. We began with a performance including dancers, singers and a fire dance on our bayside lawn, then enjoyed a Hawaiian feast in the dining room. In this photo, one of the dancers is teaching our Director of Concierge, Michael Harding, how to move Polynesian-style!

Every week, SBC residents pack food backpacks for young students and collect stamps in a program that will help the food bank purchase a new delivery van. So far we have collected enough Campbell's Soup labels to earn 16,000 points toward the goal. It is important to be engaged with the community and this is a tangible way in which residents make a difference every day. Shown in a recent work session are (left to right) Delores Godwin, Burnell Schubbe, Frances Eisner, Ray Grills, Frank Levine, Melanie Eckstein and Jerry Kaplan.

Volunteering is good for you and good for your community! At SBC, our residents volunteer in a wide variety of areas. They lead programs such as our poetry group, our "think tank" and a support group, they pack backpacks for needy area children, they welcome new residents, they tend to the libraries, the herb garden and the greenhouse. They serve on committees or just "jump in" to help. Our entire community reaps the benefit. With gratitude, SBC hosted our volunteers to a special breakfast celebration on our outdoor veranda. Enjoying the lovely weather, good food and great company are (l-r) Frank Levine, Alan Turow, Sylvia Cowan and Gert Margolick.

During a recent Masterpiece Living Day, our chef invited interested male residents to join him for a cooking class. The dish was ribs and the class was a great success -- especially as each participant took some home after everyone tasted the results! Here, getting ready to add the spices are (l-r) Frank Levine, Bob Howell, Joe Ellison and Sam Smullin.

In the global fight against Alzheimer's disease, Sarasota's Roskamp Institute stands on the front line. As academic centers around the world study ways to prevent the onset of this degenerative disease or ease the symptoms, our research team has developed a new drug with the potential to modify the course of this devastating condition.

Click link below for full story:

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20120301/COLUMNIST/120229423

Living with Alzheimer’s has many challenges but there are also many activities that can help improve the quality of life for a person living with Alzheimer’s. The AARP recommends that when finding activities for a person with Alzheimer’s to draw on their past interests and experiences. Community living at the Sarasota Bay Club provides many opportunities for residents to choose from a wide variety of activities and even organize their own programs. 

The Arts and Leisure Department at the Sarasota Bay Club makes it easy for residents to choose and attend many different activities from art classes to movie nights. With a monthly newsletter of planned activities as well as a convenient sign-up system it’s easy to plan your choice activities weeks in advance or even at the last minute. 

The AARP strongly recommends playing games as a way to lessen agitation for Alzheimer’s patients. In a 55 and over community like the Sarasota Bay Club there are always plenty of people to play Scrabble, Bridge, and Poker at a Game Club. Or start your own game in one of the many common areas, by the pool, or in the comfort of your own apartment. Community living provides an environment where it’s easy to find people with similar interests. The Sarasota Bay Club visits Sarasota theaters, holds dinner dances, and hosts lecture series and discussion groups. 

When living with Alzheimer’s the AARP recommends exercise to help in maintaining appetite, sleeping well, and to assist with overall well-being. The Sarasota Bay Club has a fully equipped fitness center and fitness classes all tailored for senior living. If leisurely walking is what you prefer the Sarasota Bay Club has extensive bay front walking paths for your enjoyment. With community living at the Sarasota Bay Club you have every opportunity for a high quality of life while living with Alzheimer’s.
 

All therapy is not created equal; The Inn at Sarasota Bay Club believes that a premier rehabilitation center in conjunction with a luxurious campus for you and your family will make your therapy program a successful and comfortable experience. 

One of the most satisfying ways to enhance a home is with beautifully arranged flowers. Guided by Sarasota Bay Club staff member Rebecca Dutton, a floral designer, our residents periodically learn the techniques of floral design and take home their arrangements. At times, a group of residents will gather to create centerpieces for a special theme night or dinner dance.  Here, Barbara Blumfield (left) and Judy Markstein work with classic red roses.

“Giving to others” benefits both the giver and the receiver. At the Sarasota Bay Club, our Owners have committed to several community projects. Owner Bob Howell uses his woodworking skills to build toys to be donated to a local foster child program. Arline Good (pictured) joins a painting group in the Art Studio who transformed the wood pieces into colorful toys. It's fun to work on these projects, especially knowing they are for a good cause.

Every so often, we invite Jana Broder from “Drum Magic” to bring her African drums and lead us in a community drumming session. Jana is a gifted and spirited teacher, and in no time she has us all drumming up a storm! Drumming touches all four areas of Masterpiece Living – social (we’re drumming in a big circle), intellectual (we need to remember the patterns), physical (this is exercise!) and spiritual (drumming together gives us all a sense of being connected).  Most of all, it is fun! Pictured is SBC Owner Sue Safford in her first drumming experience. The smiles were contagious!

The Sarasota Bay Club’s “Masterpiece Living Days” are a great opportunity to try something new. From breakfast through the evening entertainment, Owners are presented with a variety of activities and events designed to enhance well-being and promote a fun and supportive community. At the last Masterpiece Living Day, Concierge staff member John Almeida led a sing-along – here pictured with Owners Sam Smullin (left) and Frank Levine, two of our more enthusiastic singers!

Sarasota Bay Club's Executive Chef Mark Traugutt and resident, Mrs. Shirley Fein, are featured in Edible Sarasota Magazine's Special Collectible Edition enjoying the camaraderie of cooking her favorite recipe, Sweet & Sour Pot Roast.  Chef Mark, who graduated from the French Culinary Institute, insists on local organic ingredients, with every dish cooked to order.  Mrs. Fein and her fellow residents savor every forkful and sip at the Sarasota Bay Club.  Click on this link to see full article and Mrs. Fein's recipe:
http://www.ediblecommunities.com/sarasota/cooks/cooks-at-home-sarasota-bay.htm

New York-based Matthew Harrison wowed the crowd on Monday night in our Ringling Room, performing an impressive program of two piano sonatas, one Beethoven and the other the rarely-performed Rachmaninoff’s Sonata no. 1 in d minor, op. 28.

A native of Sarasota, Florida, pianist, lecturer, and teacher Matthew Harrison holds a Master of Music degree and a Bachelor of Music degree from the prestigious Manhattan School of Music, where he studied from 2002 until 2008. He has been teaching Piano Literature in the Precollege Division of the Manhattan School of Music, a class he created, since 2005, Concerto Literature since 2007, and Advanced Piano Literature beginning in the fall of 2010.He is a frequent and favored performer at the Sarasota Bay Club.

Jewish Family & Children's Service of Sarasota-Manatee recently honored the Sarasota Bay Club with the Corporate Citizen Award for their collaborative business partnership,  including their participation in JFCS’s annual Celebrity Chef & Wine Tasting signature fundraiser and providing catered meals for their SOS program lunches.

Click here to find out how you can help support Jewish Family & Children’s Services:

http://www.jfcs-cares.org/donate.html

Click here to download August 2011 Calendar

Click here to download August 2011 Newsletter