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π¦ Hidden Speakeasy & 100 Years of Opera
Best Things To Do in SRQ: 3/19 - 3/22
Carson B
March 17, 2026
Happy Tuesday, Sarasota!
The County Fair is on, St. Patrick's Day is here, and spring break has officially arrived. Whether you're dodging funnel cake crumbs at the Fairgrounds or hunting for a quiet dinner spot, we've got you covered this week.
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In todayβs edition of the Sarasota Scoop:
Thanks for reading,
Carson
π§ Think You Know Sarasota? Trivia!
The Sarasota Opera House β celebrating its 100th anniversary this year β originally opened in 1926 under a different name. What was it called? |
π° Local Headline Roundup
MasΕ: A New Reservation-Only Speakeasy on Clark Road
Sarasota just got its most intriguing new dinner spot. MasΕ is a 36-seat supper club tucked behind Swift Lounge on Clark Road β no sign out front, reservations required. Co-owners Broc Smith and Jeremy Rice are going all-in on the speakeasy concept: dim lighting, an intimate room, and a menu built around locally sourced seafood and premium steaks. You enter through Swift Lounge, which is worth a stop on its own for oysters, Cajun fried oysters, and steak frites.
The Sarasota Opera House Turns 100
The building at 61 North Pineapple Avenue is celebrating a century this year. Originally opened as the Edwards Theatre in April 1926, the Opera House is marking the milestone with its Winter Opera Festival, running now through March 29. This season includes a production of "Susannah" β timed to honor both the centennial and the 100th anniversary of composer Carlisle Floyd's birth. If you've never been inside, this is the year.
π¦ Spotlight: 100 Years on Pineapple Avenue
A hundred years is a long time for any building. It's an especially long time in Florida, where things tend to get torn down, blown over, or turned into a Walgreens. But the Sarasota Opera House has survived all of it β and the story of how it got here is one of the best in town.
It started with A.B. Edwards, Sarasota's first mayor and a real estate man born here in 1874 (back when "here" was barely a dot on the map). Edwards had a vision for a proper theater, and in 1926 he made it real: a Mediterranean Revival showpiece designed by architect Roy A. Benjamin, with a three-story entrance and enough seats to make Sarasota feel like a real city.
The Edwards Theatre opened on April 10, 1926, and for decades it was the cultural center of town β hosting vaudeville, movies, and live performances. Like a lot of grand old buildings, it went through some rough years. By the late 1970s, it could have easily become a parking lot.
Instead, in 1979, the Sarasota Opera purchased the building. Renovations began in 1982, and the theater reopened in 1984 as the Sarasota Opera House. A major renovation in 2007-2008 gutted the interior to build a proper orchestra pit and improve sightlines. Today, the William E. Schmidt Opera Theatre seats 1,119 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
This season's Winter Festival runs through March 29, with performances of Puccini and the NEA-supported production of "Susannah." If you've driven past a thousand times and never gone in β or if you haven't been in years β this is a good excuse. The building has earned it.
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Thursday, March 19
Sarasota County Fair
π Sarasota Fairgrounds
π¦ All Day (through March 22)
π Sarasota Fair
Orioles vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (Split Squad)
π Ed Smith Stadium
π¦ 6:05 PM
π Orioles Spring Training
ΓαΉ£αΊΉ: Seeing Spirit in Afro-Caribbean Art
π The John Sims Gallery at Art Center Sarasota
π¦ 4:00 PM β 8:00 PM
π Art Center Sarasota
Dramatizing the Contemporary World β Hermitage Artist Retreat
π Hermitage Artist Retreat, Manasota Key
π¦ 6:30 PM
π SarasotaArts
A Night at the Oscars β Strings Con Brio
π Holley Hall, Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center
π¦ 7:00 PM
π Strings Con Brio
Sarasota Opera: Susannah
π Sarasota Opera House
π¦ 7:30 PM
π Sarasota Opera
Gina Brillon β Live Comedy
π McCurdy's Comedy Theatre
π¦ 7:30 PM (through Saturday, March 21)
π McCurdy's Comedy Theatre
A Night With Janis Joplin
π Florida Studio Theatre, Keating Theatre
π¦ See showtimes
π Florida Studio Theatre
Friday, March 20
Equinox Ecstatic Dance
π The Bazaar on Apricot & Lime
π¦ 12:00 PM β 1:30 PM
π SarasotaArts
Spring Breakout: Orioles Prospects vs. Red Sox Prospects
π Ed Smith Stadium
π¦ 6:05 PM
π Orioles Spring Training
Sarasota Opera: La Bohème
π Sarasota Opera House
π¦ 7:30 PM
π Sarasota Opera
Sarasota Orchestra: Beethoven's Fifth
π Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
π¦ 7:30 PM
π Sarasota Orchestra
Azara Ballet: Seasons (World Premiere)
π Riverview Performing Arts Center
π¦ 7:00 PM
π Azara Ballet
Sarasota Film Festival Tickets On Sale
π Online & Box Office
π¦ All Day
π Sarasota Film Festival
Saturday, March 21
Sarasota Farmers Market
π Downtown Sarasota, Main St. & Lemon Ave.
π¦ 7:00 AM β 1:00 PM
π Sarasota Farmers Market
Wellen Park 4th Annual Half Marathon & 5K
π Downtown Wellen Park
π¦ 7:30 AM
π Wellen Park Half Marathon
Walk MS: Sarasota
π Nathan Benderson Park
π¦ 8:00 AM
π Walk MS
Gardens in Paradise β Private Gardens Tour
π Sarasota Garden Club
π¦ 9:30 AM β 4:00 PM
π Eventbrite
Sarasota Fine Art Show
π Sarasota Art Museum
π¦ 10:00 AM β 5:00 PM (through March 22)
π Hot Works Fine Art Show
My Hometown Fest (Craft Beer & Food Festival)
π Nathan Benderson Park
π¦ 12:00 PM β 5:00 PM
π My Hometown Fest
Orioles vs. Philadelphia Phillies
π Ed Smith Stadium
π¦ 1:05 PM
π Orioles Spring Training
Azara Ballet: Seasons (World Premiere)
π Riverview Performing Arts Center
π¦ 2:00 PM
π Azara Ballet
Pops Orchestra: Rocket Man β Elton John Tribute
π SCF Neel Performing Arts Center, Bradenton
π¦ 3:00 PM
π The Pops Orchestra
How I Got Over: A Gospel Revue
π Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe
π¦ See showtimes
π Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe
Wine & Food Fest
π Selby Five Points Park, Downtown Sarasota
π¦ 5:00 PM β 9:30 PM
π Wine & Food Fest
Beaux Arts Ball β Art Center Sarasota Centennial
π Sarasota Municipal Auditorium
π¦ 6:00 PM
π Art Center Sarasota
Sarasota Opera: The Merry Widow
π Sarasota Opera House
π¦ 7:30 PM
π Sarasota Opera
Sarasota Orchestra: Beethoven's Fifth
π Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
π¦ 7:30 PM
π Sarasota Orchestra
Sunday, March 22
Sarasota Fine Art Show
π Sarasota Art Museum
π¦ 10:00 AM β 5:00 PM
π Hot Works Fine Art Show
Sarasota Orchestra: Beethoven's Fifth
π Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
π¦ 2:30 PM
π Sarasota Orchestra
Pops Orchestra: Rocket Man β Elton John Tribute
π Riverview Performing Arts Center
π¦ 3:00 PM
π The Pops Orchestra
Sarasota County Fair β Final Day
π Sarasota Fairgrounds
π¦ All Day
π Sarasota Fair
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