Hart’s Landing to be site of free open house from 5 to 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 14

New concessionaires of the facility on the southeast side of the Ringling Bridge in downtown Sarasota will welcome all members of the public

People gather at Hart’s Landing in late March 2014. File photo

On Saturday, April 14, the new operators/concessionaires of the popular Hart’s Landing, located on the southeast side of Ringling Bridge in Sarasota, will host an open house at the renovated activity center and the adjacent, recently redesigned Doc and Eloise Werlin Park.

The free family-friendly event will take place from 5 to 8:30 p.m., featuring food and beverages and live music, a news release says.

Hart’s Landing is the oldest saltwater fishing center in the region, the release adds; it was established in 1934. The City of Sarasota awarded the new operators the lease for the concession last year, the release points out.

“Its an honor and a privilege to be continuing the legacy of Hart’s Landing for years to come,” said Sherman Baldwin, general manager of Hart’s Landing, in the release. “I brought my children here starting in the 1980s and to now be the ‘guardian’ of this special place is a dream come true,” he added in the release.

Hart’s Landing had fallen into disrepair in the recent past, the release points out. It even closed in 2014 for more than a year, the release adds. Then it underwent “a major facelift under Sherman’s direction,” the release notes.

The facility has a full-service Bait and Tackle Activity Center, and it also offers some food items, coffee and Danish, and beer and wine. Additionally, Hart’s Landing makes available public fishing lessons, boat charters and “See The Bay” tours, the release says.

“Hart’s Landing is part of a bigger vision initiated by City Manager Tom Barwin and local philanthropist Doc Ernest Werlin,” the release points out.