Festive is becoming “the” word on the island, as it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

On Saturday, Dec. 8, join everyone at The Sidebar (next to The Temptation Restaurant) for a free wine tasting from 4 to 6 p.m. The wines of Sancerre, Bordeaux and more will be sampled. As always, these wines will be available for purchase with one-day-only pricing. After your purchase, have dinner at The Temp and receive a 10% discount off your meal.

On Saturday, Dec. 8, the annual lighting of the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse celebration will take place at 6 p.m. The actual lighting is scheduled for 6:15 p.m.

On Sunday, Dec. 9 St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church will host “Handel’s Messiah” at 4 p.m.

The performance will feature strings, a harpsichord and four vocalists.

BY MARCY SHORTUSE - The game and sport fish designation draft rule proposed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will push forward through the legislative process. This was determined by the FWC Commission at the December 5 meeting in Apalachicola, and brings hope to many traditional tarpon fishermen.

But don’t expect the change in designation to happen any time soon.

BY MARCY SHORTUSE - A special meeting of the Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority meeting was held Thursday afternoon, Dec. 6, to discuss a protest lodged by the low-bidding construction company on the swing bridge project. They also received counsel on how they should proceed in response to the protest.

The bid contract between the bridge authority and the bidders gave them the right to reject the bids unless they, GIBA, acted unfairly or illegally. The board rejected all bids based on the grounds that all bidders gave only a 75 percent completion figure. That was all, at the time, that the board requested.
GLM, the low bidder, contested the rejection saying that it was capricious, and that there was no reason to reject the bid.

Mary Anne Hastings, whose good childhood friend’s parents were killed on Staten Island in Hurricane Sandy, was headed back up to the forlorn and devastated area this week.

Mary Anne reported that while her personal campaign total has only reached $350 so far, some island residents have been donating to hurricane victims through UMCOR, The United Methodist Committee on Relief.