A great turn out as Venetian Falls celebrates Valentine’s Day 2012

In true Venetian Falls fashion, the annual observance of the day dedicated to “Romantic Love” was celebrated with great style and flourish by the residents of this amazing community. Why amazing? All you had to do was to look around you on Saturday night, February 11th, at our amazing club house with its amazing activity center filled with amazingly, creatively and beautifully decorated tables and that’s what I’m talk’n about, AMAZING!! Not to mention the amazingly large and amazingly good looking crowd that descended upon the showroom in the early evening to dance the night away to the well-received vocals and musical accompaniment provided by Take 2 Productions. Hey, these may be the golden years for most of us but don’t tell us we don’t still know how to shake our booty!

As usual, the volunteer members of the Social Committee have created another bench mark for creativity and decoration. Great Job! And, the edible table centerpieces were a chocoholic’s delight.

Wikipedia, the Free (Online) Encyclopedia is something else that is amazing and it tells us that Valentine’s Day (short for Saint Valentine’s Day) was first established in 496 AD as an observance honoring one or more early Christian martyrs. It goes on to tell us that It first became associated with romantic love during Chaucer’s era (1300’s) and by the 15th century it evolved into a tradition that continues to present day and features the presenting of flowers, offering of confectionary and sending greeting cards (known as “valentines”). For those of you struggling to come up with the right words for your Valentine message, here’s a poem that dates back to 1784…

“The rose is red, the violet’s blue,

The honey’s sweet and so are you.

Thou art my love and I am thine.

I drew thee to my Valentine:

The lot was cast and then I drew,

And Fortune said it shou’d be you.

I’m sure there are times, for some us, when we feel like we were around at the time that poem was created. That may be so but at the Valentine’s Day Party of 2012, the dance floor of the activity center looked as though everyone there had paid a recent visit Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth which, as legend has it, is located somewhere in Florida. I personally believe that it is in close proximity to Little Batello ‘cause those folks there never act their age.

Anyway, ‘nuff said. Our Lifestyle Leader/Director/Chief Cook and Bottle Washer, Ed Cone, as always, guided this event and achieved another feather in his already over-feathered cap. A great job was done by Ed and the omni-present members of his Lifestyle Team. I thank you as I’m sure the other two hundred or so attendees of the Valentine’s Day Party do, for your tireless efforts on behalf of this really great and special community called Venetian Falls.

The VF quilting group is now in its third year and meets every Monday from 1:30 to 3:30 PM in the club activities room. We have steadily increased in numbers from a small group to currently 14 members – a mix of full timers, snow birds, & part-timers. We welcome all interested persons & will gladly teach or assist those who do not have quilting skills, but have a desire to learn. We have a mix of beginners, intermediate, & skilled quilters. The club has basic supplies, including a sewing machine, iron & ironing board, and sundry sewing/quilting supplies available in the activity room. Members also supplement with their own supplies & readily share!! Our group has completed projects each year for charities, as well as for personal use. This year projects included: snow man banner, aprons, seasonal wall hangings for the club house (Fall & Winter were completed & on display – Spring & Summer are in process), and fleece lap quilts which will be donated soon to the Center of Hope. Members also completed personal quilts with advice & help in “layering” of our qroup. For more information or answer to questions call Nancy Bollers @ 941-445-5069. We gladly accept donations of COTTON fabric or sewing supplies. Please contact Nancy first.

It was a fascinating evening of mind boggling entertainment, when Mark Stone, renowned “mentalist,”appeared at Venetian Falls on January 14. Mark began developing his abilities in college performing for his dormitory and he has now been featured on such popular venues as the Johnny Carson Show and Oprah among many others.

The show was an interesting mixture of Mark’s sense of humor and his ESP abilities. Everyone was amazed when he was able to tell the name and address of someone in a Las Vegas phone book after a member of the audience picked it out and“concentrated.”

Some of the best “mind reading “was done after the 200 member audience wrote down a favorite memory on a piece of paper. Mark then choose people at random and “read their memory” including picking flowers in Bora Bora , a dog tag number, and a favorite 1987 Camaro.

Everyone left scratching their heads and saying “How does he do that?”

Venetian Falls Celebrates New Year’s Eve.

Ooh la la--- Paris, France came to Venice, Florida on December 31, when Venetian Falls held their annual New Year’s Eve Party with the theme “Midnight in Paris”

Over 210 guests filled The Clubhouse, which was transformed by romantic blue lights at the entrance, black and white decorated tables featuring centerpieces of black vases and white feathers, and, of course, The Eiffel Tower in the middle of it all. The ladies looked marvelous in fancy outfits and gowns, plus a few men were spotted in tuxedos, looking very sharp.

Dinner, catered by Michael of Affordable Custom Catering, was delicious and featured the French favorite, Beef Bourguignon.

After dinner, the fun began with music by DJ Jay Goodley.

The place was “rockin” with favorites from the 50’s through the 90”s. Our fearless leader and host, Monsieur Ed Cone, resplendent in white tux and black beret, led the dancing with a riotous interpretation of “YMCA” that had all the ladies dancing and all the men singing, a group sing-along of “Hey Baby” including hilarious grunts and groans, and the “piece de resistance” teaching us the latest dance craze, “The Waddle”

Thanks to Ed for making the evening so much fun and so memorable. Many thanks also go to the decorating and cleanup crew: Karen Staszko, Peggy Nixon, Mary Kettery, Carolyn Laibach, Kevin and Sue Osterstrom, Tony and Annette DiPietro, Colleen Hanson, Junetth Lettner and Dale Strom, Marty Phipps, Bill and Lois Johanns, Penny Lengyel, Sheila Kanode, The Quilting Group, and everyone who took a tablecloth home to clean!!

The party was a huge success and one of the most outstanding happenings at Venetian Falls. Ed and his committee are already thinking about next year and how they can top 2011. Hopefully he will also have a new dance to add to our repertoire.