5 Things: Mock Drills Wednesday and Thursday

1. Sarasota County Emergency Management will participate in an Emergency Operations Center mock tornado response drill from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. today with the help of several communities. 

The Isles of Palmer Ranch will conduct a full-scale exercise with victims and damage to homes from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Various units of the Sarasota County Fire Department will respond to the Isles of Palmer Ranch as part of their Multi-Casualty Incident training.

The base of the exercise will be the sixth floor of the Sarasota County Administration Center, 1660 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota. This exercise, which is in response to multiple tornado strikes throughout Sarasota and Charlotte counties, county officials said. 

The Meadows and Glen Oaks communities will also test their phone tree and emergency information center procedures during the drill.

2. The Sarasota Police Department, Sarasota County Sheriff's Office and numerous other law enforcement agencies will complete a mock child abduction drill Thursday at the Sarasota County Fairgrounds.

The drill will test the region's Child Abduction Response Team capabilities and the community will see a large police presence around that area during the drill.

The exercise is part of a two-day assessment by the U.S. Department of Justice that will test the response of the response team members, evaluate communication protocols, leads tracking systems, command post operations, and search and rescue efforts in the event of a child abduction.

The exercise will begin at the Sarasota County Fairgrounds at 7 a.m. and will end at about 12:30 p.m.

3. Ringling will be in bloom once again starting Thursday. The second edition of Ringling In Bloom kicks off Thursday with a designer preview featuring floral arraingements inspired by the art at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. Tickets for that event cost $85. There's a full slate of events through Sunday. Check out www.ringling.org/inbloom for more info and tickets.

4. Over 400 guests in will gather at Michael’s On East on Friday evening, when the Education Foundation of Sarasota County’s Evening of Excellence kicks off with a reception at 6:00 p.m.  Party-goers will enjoy an elegant dinner followed by a live auction of 25 pieces of original student art work, led by auctioneer Jimmy Dean.

Individual tickets are $200, $250 for patrons.  For more information, call the Education Foundation at 941-927-0965 or see the web site at www.EdFoundation.net.

5. The community is invited to the grand opening of the newly named Orioles Pirates Miracle League Field of Sarasota at 2 p.m. Saturday in Longwood Park, 6050 Longwood Park Blvd. The new field features a rubberized surface that provides a safe playing surface for children who use walkers, wheelchairs or crutches. Designed and built through a partnership between Sarasota County and the Miracle League of Manasota County, the new field is the first facility of its kind in Sarasota County.