Recently a group of friends and I took a weekend to get away from the cold Ohio winter and enjoy a warm-up in Sarasota. What a breeze jumping on the Tampa nonstop on AirTran and arriving in Tampa around 10:30. By noon we were having lunch in downtown Sarasota, a city I had never visited in Florida. We were delighted by the wonderful weather that we experienced and charmed by the city itself.  Sarasota offers a variety of wonderful sights and is a great location for those who enjoy a variety of dining experiences. We were blessed with the opportunity to attend the Sarasota Symphony on Saturday night. What a surprise greeted us! That evening, world-renowned and 2008 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance with Orchestra, James Ehnes, performed as guest artist on the violin. I’ll be frank; I’m not a big symphony-type of guy but his performance was incredible!

Returning to CAK was a breeze with the nonstop from Tampa. Air Tran’s departure time of 11:11 a.m. makes it simple to get a good night's sleep for your return home. Fares are still under $100, one- way, to various Florida cities on AirTran so now would be a great time to book your warm get-away.

Before your next trip, go to our website www.akroncantonairport.com and sign up for our CAK Fast Pass. With a simple swipe of your card, you can enter and exit our parking facilities without any wait at the exit booths. Details and registration forms are on our website. Happy Trails!

 By the way, for those who love to play in the snow, the Timken Ski Club still has spots on some of their upcoming ski adventures. Go to www.timkenskiclub for details. And for a real ski adventure, Frontier still has great rates out West to the high country. Various resorts are offering some very attractive ski packages this winter, and I’ve been told the snowfall has been generous. Gotta love the snow!