Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/161733
Sarasota News Leader August 30, 2013 Page 84 Siesta Seen "And they're generating thousands of [accommodation] room nights here on Siesta Key," Cooper pointed out, as well as spending money on meals and in stores. Russell Matthes, past president of the SKVA, added that the event is held during a traditionally slow time of year for tourism, making it all the more important to the local economy. When Peter van Roekens, secretary of the Siesta Key Association, pointed out that the Crystal Classic would overlap the Sarasota Chalk Festival in November (its dates are Nov. 13-18), Wigelsworth and Cooper called that a positive factor. People are not inclined to come to the area two separate times for such events, Wigelsworth said, but they should be more eager to come, knowing they can attend both in one trip. Cooper noted that, over the past couple of years, the Chamber has received numerous Cooper added that people easily could go to calls from people checking the dates for the the Crystal Classic and the Chalk Festival on Crystal Classic so they can plan vacations the same day, in fact. around it. "I think it's going to be a great thing," WigelsWigelsworth pointed out that as he travels worth agreed. the country for sand-sculpting events, people come up to him regularly, saying, "Oh, you're Wigelsworth also pointed out to me this week from Sarasota. I went to the Crystal Classic that the event's Facebook page is up. A link on last year." These are people in Texas and Mas- that page enables people to buy tickets now. sachusetts, for example, Wigelsworth said. VENTING DISPLEASURE AGAIN The event's reputation is growing, he added. Item No. 46 on the County Commission's con"The name's getting out there." sent agenda for its meeting on Tuesday, Aug. This year, Wigelsworth continued, he will 27, called for the adoption of a formal resohave to miss the SKCC himself because of lution approving a vacation of public right of a major sand-sculpting event in Kuwait. In way on Calle de Costa Rica and turning over fact, he said, some of the competitors he had the property to the next-door residents, Wilsigned up early for the 2013 Crystal Classic liam and Katherine Baumann. The mere incluhad pulled out for the Kuwait trip, but he had sion of the item on the consent agenda meant been able to replace them. the odds of its quick passage were pretty good. He also noted that CNN this summer named the Crystal Classic one of its Top However, this was a contentious matter when 10 sand-sculpting events to attend in 2013. the board voted 3-2 on May 21 to grant prelimAmong the others on that list are competitions inary approval to the right of way vacation. in Switzerland, Denmark and Australia. The item had to come back to the board this