Bradenton, FL|News|
Weekend Planner: Geeks, Rum and Backstreet Boys....
Looking for fun weekend events in and around Bradenton? Look no further.

Hello Patch readers. My name is Merab-Michal Favorite.
I graduated with her B.A. in journalism at the University of South Florida. Before taking a few years off to crew on a yacht through the Caribbean. Before that, I attended Manatee Community College (now SCF) and Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville.
I grew up on Snead Island, which is located in Palmetto. Before there was a county park (Emerson Point Park) on the island, the Native American mounds served as my playground. As a child, I would hide in the woods surrounding the park as well as swim and play at the mouth of the Manatee River.
In addition to working for Patch, I recently completed two pictoral histories of local towns, one of Palmetto and one of Bradenton, which are available through Arcadia Publishing. So, if you like history and want to know more about the area, just ask.
I love anything to do with the bay, so you will probably see me paddle boarding, boating, sailing or camping on one of the local keys. My all time favorite thing on the planet is to be completely disconnected from the rest of the world -- 100 miles offshore and under sail at night.
Some of my favorite places to visit are Greer (Beercan) Island, Skeet’s Key and Starfish Co. in Manatee County and Burns Court Cinema and Epicure in Sarasota.
As part of my beat, I would like to do a profile of an elected official every week and I was wondering, what would you, as readers, like to know about the people running your city? Please comment on this article and let me know.
Do you have a news tip? Please drop me a line.
I can be reached at merab.favorite@patch.com or 941-730-8766.
Be sure to stay connected via Facebook and Twitter, too.
Looking forward to seeing you around town!
Looking for fun weekend events in and around Bradenton? Look no further.

Looking for fun weekend events in and around Bradenton? Look no further.
Here are tonight's Powerball numbers! Good luck, Sarasota!
Here are tonight's Powerball numbers! Good luck, Bradenton!
A Sarasota man has been charged with armed robbery and kidnapping after he allegedly bound two women with packing tape and robbed them in their Bradenton home.
Authorities are searching for a female suspect and two other persons of interest in connection with the August 18 robbery of a Sarasota convenience store.
The School District of Manatee is reimbursing all schools for the nearly $1.5 million taken from their internal funds to help with last year's budget shortfall.
A Bradenton man accidentally shot himself in the leg while handling a 1911A1 pistol while in his driveway.
Here are five things we thought you should know about today!
Here are five things we thought you should know about today!
The park has welcomed two newborn giraffes.
Chicago bound for the holidays? Traveling to and from Chicago just got a little easier, according to the Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority.
Authorities are searching for a man who allegedly violated a restraining order and used a hammer to smash in the pickup of a 32-year-old woman, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
A recent case out of Pasco County has brought this controversial issue to the forefront. We’d like your take on it, Sarasota!
A recent case out of Pasco County has brought this controversial issue to the forefront. We’d like your take on it, Bradenton!
Here are five things we thought you would like to know about today....
Here are five things we thought you might like to know about today.....
We compile the odd, unusual and the "oh my gosh" police items from throughout the Tampa Bay region.