16th annual Ted Nowosad Tour of Lights set for this weekend

He was sort of the walking embodiment of the Christmas spirit around the Manatee County Commission.

Ted Nowosad didn’t hold an elected office, but he was a regular for many years at commission meetings. You couldn’t miss him around Christmas time, when he would show up in a Santa Claus suit, carrying bells like the ones those Salvation Army volunteers ring.

Back in the early 2000s, Nowosad proposed the idea of buses that would take people around Bradenton to look at some of the houses that were all lit up for Christmas. The commissioners at the time agreed that it was a great idea, so in 2002 the county’s Tour of Lights was born. It was named in honor of Nowosad in 2014 after he had passed away.

“Each year the crowd seems to be getting bigger and bigger,” said Nick Azzara, the county’s communications outreach manager. “It’s an inexpensive way to see all the lights of West Bradenton with your friends.”

This year’s 16th annual Ted Nowosad Tour of Lights is scheduled for Friday and Saturday. Buses will leave from State College of Florida at 6:30 p.m. each evening.

About 2,000 people a year take advantage of the program. Seating is limited, so it’s best to get there early — county officials recommended arriving by 6:15 p.m. The only fare is a non-perishable food item or unwrapped toy. The food will be donated to local social service networks and the toys will be given to the Toys for Tots program.

The buses come from Manatee County Area Transit in cooperation with the School District of Manatee. The commission has to approve the money for the tour every year, but there has never been any serious objection.

“It has survived the leanest of budgetary years,” Azzara said.

Details: 6:30 p.m. Dec. 15-16, Building 29 at State College of Florida, 5840 26th St. W. Bring a non-perishable food item or an unwrapped toy for admission. 941-747-8621, mymanatee.org/mcat.

This story was originally published December 11, 2017 at 4:00 PM with the headline "16th annual Ted Nowosad Tour of Lights set for this weekend."