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Hey North Port, hope your week’s off to a good start!

In today’s wallet-friendly edition: Walk to End Summer Hunger fundraiser, national buzz for Yugen and Zoto Sushi, and a Pi Day party + lots of fun things to do for free.

Today’s sponsor, American Hartford Gold, is helping folks around North Port protect their savings as gold and silver continue to gain momentum. Their free guide explains what’s driving the surge… and what to know before adding precious metals to your portfolio. Grab your free copy here.

📰 In the news

Fundraiser addresses rising costs: All Faiths Food Bank’s Walk to End Summer Hunger will be held March 28 at its new location, Riverview High School in Sarasota, supporting kids through Campaign Against Summer Hunger — get pricing and event details.

Fresh openings and accolades: February brought big buzz to the Sarasota-Manatee dining scene, with Yugen and Zoto Sushi drawing national attention, Tide Tables named among the best, and Mister O1 planning a June expansion — get all the details.

Comforting through service dogs: NABC’s Recycled Rides and GEICO donated a refurbished car to Port Charlotte volunteer Kelle Elmes at the South Gulf Cove Furry Scurry 5K. Proceeds were expected to exceed $125,000 — see who made it possible.

Nothing prepares you for a pet emergency: I learned that the hard way after charging $10k to a credit card for life-saving surgery on my cat, Miss Stache. As soon as we got home, I signed up for Spot. It’s super affordable – and reimburses up to 90% of the bill.

Highlights this week:

• Two choirs perform Rutter’s Mass
• Get free or low-cost health services
• Shop North Port’s year-round farmers market

🫶 We got your back

Sub craving solved: When you’re after a properly stacked Italian, a piping-hot cheesesteak, or a spot-on panini, North Port Subs delivers fresh, fast, no-fuss flavor. House-made, generously layered, and reliably satisfying… the kind of sandwich situation that speaks for itself.

Soak and exhale: North Port’s daily reset is at Warm Mineral Springs Park, where naturally warm, spring-fed water turns a quick dip into a full-body sigh. Steal a quiet hour, float, people-watch, and let your joints thank you later. Simple, no frills, and sneakily restorative.

Rediscover your inner kid: Vintage Toy Traders buys, sells, and trades the nostalgia you swore you’d never collect again… think Star Wars, TMNT, 007, and more, plus a few modern gems. It’s a quick dopamine hit after work, or a weekend treasure hunt with the kids.

Why your last diet didn’t work: Sustained weight loss is nearly impossible with diet alone. Your body literally fights back by making you hungrier the moment you start restricting calories. That’s why more doctors are recommending GLP-1s. The best part? Getting them has never been easier. We compared three programs to help you find the right fit. See which ones stood out →

Your data is for sale right now: There are over 400 websites selling your info to marketers, political campaigns, and scammers. They’ve got your phone number, home address, relatives’ names… you name it. That’s how robocallers seem to know everything about you before you pick up. You can remove your info one site at a time, or pay a service to do it for you. Here’s what we recommend →

📆 Free events worth checking out

Have an event to share? BaseLocal Verified Businesses can submit them for free! Learn more about how to submit an event here →

All events are subject to change without notice. Always check official event pages for the most up to date information.

🧘 Senior Focused Exercise Class @ Wintergarden Presbyterian Church (Port Charlotte) | Tuesday (3/10) at 10:00 AM – Wintergarden Bees is keeping the Wintergarden Presbyterian foyer buzzing with a free, senior-friendly workout that feels doable. Think stretching, balance, and light weights, the kind that helps you outpace grandkids and stairs. It runs Tuesday and Friday mornings, bring your sneaks and dry wit.

🧾 AARP Tax-Aide @ Shannon Staub Library | Tuesday (3/10) at 10:30 AM – Tax season got you sighing louder than your leaf blower? AARP is offering free, IRS-certified tax prep at Shannon Staub Library, the calmest place to face Form 1040. Bring your photo ID, your paperwork, and that shoebox of receipts you swear is a system.

🌿 Save the Giant Air Plant @ Lemon Bay Park & Environmental Center (Englewood) | Tuesday (3/10) at 1:00 PM – Pack your lunch and head to Lemon Bay Park for a laid-back Mangrove Chapter meetup where Sherm Stratton and Dr. Linda Lovallo unpack how they’re rescuing the giant air plant from habitat loss, the bromeliad weevil, and general Florida nonsense. Free, welcoming, and delightfully nerdy.

🥕 Friday Farmer’s Market on Dearborn Street @ The Market on Dearborn (Englewood) | Friday (3/13) at 1:00 PM – Skip the grocery store and stroll Dearborn Street when the lights click on and everyone pretends they had this planned. It’s the Friday night market, with local vendors, easy bites, and neighborly chatter. Bring kids, dogs, opinions on peaches, and call it the weekend.

🥧 Pi Day Party! @ Mathnasium of Port Charlotte | Friday (3/13) at 3:30 PM – Pi Day, but one day early, because patience is overrated. Bring the kids or grandkids for free K-12 fun with food, games, a raffle, and plenty of pie puns; they do the math, you supervise snacks. RSVP here: https://forms.gle/cnfNAhAa9fm86kyH9

✉ Letter Writing Party @ North Port Library | Saturday (3/14) at 11:00 AM – Remember cursive? Put it to good use at this letter-writing hangout, where we’ll pen notes to homebound seniors, and make someone’s day. Supplies are provided. You bring the heart and humor, in partnership with Letters Against Isolation. Look at us, being wholesome for once.

🎶 Knee Deep @ Englewoods On Dearborn Restaurant & Bar | Saturday (3/14) at 6:30 PM – Free concert alert, Knee Deep brings Northern Michigan’s favorite stadium-sized classic rock tribute, all anthems, zero filler. Whether you’ve belted Bon Jovi at Cherry Fest or still know every Tom Petty bridge, these five deliver clean, tight hits that get even porch-sitters dancing and singing.

Wanna see more? Browse our full events calendar →

📻 North Port report

Weather forecast

Today – High: 88°F – Low: 64°F – Precip: 4%

Sunny, with a high near 88. East wind 2 to 6 mph. Later: Mostly clear, with a low around 64. Northwest wind 2 to 6 mph.

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Tomorrow – High: 87°F – Low: 65°F – Precip: 1%

Patchy fog between 7am and 10am. Sunny, with a high near 87. South southeast wind 2 to 9 mph. Later: Patchy fog between 2am and 5am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 65. South southwest wind 1 to 8 mph.

Are you quietly overpaying for car insurance? 🚗

Premiums have been climbing across Florida but most folks won’t notice until they’re hit with a higher bill when it’s time to renew.

That’s exactly what happened to me. I had the same policy for half a decade. Autopay was on, it was out of sight and out of mind. Turns out I was blindly paying way more than everyone else I knew.

If you haven’t checked in a while, you’re probably overpaying too – here’s the comparison tool I used.

This house is wild

Tenbusch craftsmanship meets high-efficiency design on 2.6 acres with city water. PGT low-e impact windows, Icynene spray-foamed attic, and R-matte insulated block walls keep things quiet and comfortable. GAF shingles, Zip-Ply sheathing, and engineered trusses anchor the roof. Inside, wood plank tile flows to solid stone countertops, a spacious den, four bedrooms, and three full baths.

Take a peek inside →