Ceremony to commemorate 9/11's 25th anniversary at Patriot Plaza
The Sarasota Ministerial Association, Diocese of Venice, and Sarasota County Emergency Services will host Sarasota’s 25th Commemoration of September 11 America 250 on Sept. 11 from 5-6:15 p.m. at Patriot Plaza at Sarasota National Cemetery, 9820 State Road 72, in Sarasota.
Sarasota County Sheriff Kurt Hoffman, U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, Most Rev. Frank J. Dewane, local police and fire chiefs, the Ensemble of First United Methodist Church, and military officers and veterans are among those scheduled to attend. A procession of clergy and 9/11 presenters will begin the service.
For information on ways to support the event or the 9/11 Memorial in New York City, visit givebutter.com/911-twenty-fifth-year-commemoration and 911groundzero.com.
Sarasota Bay Watch seeking helpers for shoreline cleanup
Sarasota Bay
Watch is calling on boaters, kayakers, students, and community volunteers to join the 2026 Monofilament Cleanup on Sept. 19 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.The cleanup will target discarded fishing line, hooks, lures, and other fishing debris that can entangle and kill seabirds and marine wildlife.
Sarasota Sailing Squadron, 1717 Ken Thompson Parkway, will serve as the event's home base while volunteers spread out by boat, kayak, and on foot to search nearby shorelines, bridges, piers, jetties, islands, and other areas where fishing debris accumulates.
“Fishing line can seem like a small thing, but once it is left behind, it can become a serious threat to wildlife,” said Ronda Ryan of Sarasota Bay Watch. “Every hook, lure, and piece of line we remove is one less opportunity for an animal to become injured or entangled.”
Volunteers who prefer to work independently can collect debris from known trouble spots during the week, then bring what they find to Sarasota Sailing Squadron during the event for documentation and disposal. Students can earn community service hours. A light lunch will be provided. Register at SarasotaBayWatch.org.
Sertoma Kids plans free event to screen for hearing issues
Sertoma Kids in Sarasota is partnering with the Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation of Florida to provide free hearing screenings for area children on Sept. 15.
The foundation will be bringing its mobile audiology van to Sertoma Kids (2750 Stickney Point Road., Sarasota) from from 3-6 p.m. No reservations are required. In 2025, the foundation screened over 50,000 children through screenings at more than 1,000 schools and early learning facilities.
“We can offer the most cutting-edge and thorough catalogue of therapies possible at Sertoma Kids but screenings are essential to identify impairments,” Sertoma Kids executive director Pam Plank said.
For more information about the screenings, call 941-228-1062 or email speech@sertomakids.org. To learn more about Sertoma Kids, visit sertomakids.org.
Downtown fitness center hosts free community activity event
A fitness center in downtown Sarasota is hosting a free morning of fitness, recovery and connection on Sept. 6 from 7-10 a.m.
Free Fit Day at Jefferson Fit (1800 Second St., Suite 100, Sarasota) is designed to give people an easy way to try something new to stay active. The event begins at 7 a.m. with check-in, stretching, and warmups, followed by an optional 5K run/walk through downtown Sarasota. At 8 a.m., participants can take part in short group fitness class demonstrations.
Amenities include cold plunges, dry and infrared saunas, HaloRed salt and red light therapy, and Hyperice compression recovery. Jefferson Fit founder Jefferson Charles said the facility plans to make Free Fit Day a monthly event. All fitness levels are welcome; registration is requested at jeffersonfit.com/stronger-everyday/free-fit-day-sarasota.
Temple Beth Sholom Cemetery breaks ground on expansion
Temple Beth Sholom in Sarasota recently broke ground on a 4½-acre expansion of its cemetery property to accommodate additional burial plots.
Temple Beth Sholom Cemetery (801 Circus Blvd.), a tree-lined property located on Beneva Road and Circus Boulevard bordering Bobby Jones Golf Course, was established in 1932. Its 8-plus acres are the only Jewish-owned “community” cemetery in Sarasota-Manatee. The current 2,000 plots will be approximately doubled in the expansion.
Burial plots remain available in the current grounds, and reservations are being accepted for the new section. For more information, call Temple Beth Sholom at 941-955-8121.
Around and about
· Sarasota Memorial’s Kolschowsky Research & Education Institute is enrolling stroke survivors in a new national study testing a therapy designed to improve arm and hand function. Info: Sarasota Memorial at 941-917-2225 or researchinstitute@smh.com; clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05301140.
· Families interested in learning more about Lily Preschool and Easterseals Academy are invited to attend an enrollment fair on Oct. 17 from 9:30 a.m.-noon at Easterseals Southwest Florida, 350 Braden Ave., Sarasota. Info: 941-355-7637 or casemanagement@easterseals-swfl.org; easterseals-swfl.org/our-programs.
Submissions by Rotary Club of Lakewood Ranch, Tom Pfaff, Ronda Ryan, Joey Panek, Isis Zimmerman, Kim Savage, and Sharon Kunkel.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Ceremony to commemorate 25th anniversary of 9/11 at Patriot Plaza
