Lido Shores: First Fall Potluck in Two Years Draws Big Covid Weary Crowd

Friday, October 22, 2021

First Fall Potluck in Two Years Draws Big Covid Weary Crowd

LSPOA President Denis Bischoff addresses Fall Potluck

LSPOA President Denis Bischoff the 2021 LSPOA Fall Potluck

Sunday, October 17th. The clock struck one o'clock. Westway Drive suddenly came alive as volunteers converged on the neighborhood's iconic Umbrella House to help set up for the 2021 Fall Potluck... the first in two-years.

Old hands directed newcomers as tables and chairs were whisked out of Sarasota's Neighborhood Services trailer and placed poolside. For those of you new to Lido Shores, the City provides tables and chairs upon request so that LSPOA doesn’t need to own or store them. In just 30 minutes, tables were draped with tablecloths, anchored by gourd centerpieces, and ready to seat our 60-plus Potluck attendees.

Judy & Fred Fiala

Just before the festivities began, longtime members Fred and Judy Fiala delivered the wine (provided courtesy of LSPOA) that they had inadvertently ended up storing, as three Potlucks in a row were canceled due to Covid.

Janet Augustine, our bartender of many years, and "Event General," set up her station in anticipation of the first rush of party goers.

And rush they did! By 5:00, there were lots of LSPOA members to be found with a glass of wine, making the rounds to see old friends and introducing themselves to new faces.

Everyone seemed happy to reconnect, a lot like snowbound Northerners after a long winter of being stuck in the house, only this time we had Covid to blame.

The festive atmosphere was enhanced by co-host Bob Essner’s self-described “age-appropriate classic rock soundtrack” playing in the background.


Bruce Peterson, Jan Fleming, Mark & Laura Mattia, Anna Nekoranec

But our potlucks aren’t just about meeting, greeting and wine: let’s not forget about the food! From the looks of the wide variety of dishes offered, people went out of their way to prepare interesting appetizers, side dishes, main courses and dessert!

Overheard as people tried the tempting dishes: “So creative – it’s great!” “Can you believe all of this food? I want to try everything!”

We enjoyed some LSPOA standards. What would a potluck be without Ken McMillan’s Baked Beans or Irene Isaac’s Spinach Triangles? We were also treated to new dishes, like Jan Farber’s Sheet Pan Chicken and Tammy Flannagan’s Bang Bang shrimp.

Karen Heath’s Zucchini Tart certainly drew ooh’s and ah’s with its beautifully-arranged, picture-perfect thin slices of zucchini decorating the surface. And our main courses certainly have changed over the years. It used to be hard for those who don’t eat meat to find a lot to eat; now, vegetarian offerings abound!

Bruce and Kimberly Peterson have embraced a plant-based diet so she prepared a lovely bulgur wheat-based dish. Cathy Voigts brought a Zucchini Lasagne and Diane Desenberg (sporting a new sassy short haircut) assembled a large salad with ingredients raised in her house garden.

Anne Essner, Janet Minker, Dr. Lee Edstrom, Sue Lifeso

Bruce Bernstein dropped off a large tray of pulled pork sandwiches, then headed home to take care of Hilary, who was on the DL. As was Miriam Cassell, who’d fractured her wrist the week before and couldn’t attend. But Stuart gamely came by himself, bringing a key lime pie as their offering.

As the sun set, people found seats at the tables and continued their conversations while they ate, often going back for seconds (thirds, anyone?). Even though the Fall Potluck was scheduled to end at 8:00, no one seemed to notice the time, and many lingered a bit longer as the break-down volunteers took tables and chairs back to the trailer.

The long-awaited potluck had ended. Partygoers trailed off into the night, knowing a few more neighbors than when they first arrived and probably pinching themselves for having been lucky enough to land in friendly Lido Shores.

Anne Essner

Co-Host & Entertainment Chair