Written by Susan Hanafee on . Posted in Profiles.
It was 10:30 p.m. and the end of a long day of moving for Matthew Williams, the new pastor at the Lighthouse United Methodist Church of Boca Grande. He was grimy and exhausted. He sat on the steps leading to the church office, contemplating the new life he and his young wife, Joy, were facing. Would this be the paradise it seemed when they crossed the bridge onto Gasparilla Island for the first time weeks earlier? Or something else?
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Obituaries.
Dick Stem, a World War II veteran who built a successful Sarasota-area building supply company, died surrounded by family at his Boca Grande home on April 13, 2022. He was 94. The patriarch of a multigenerational Florida family, Dick was a character whose quick smile and love for telling a good joke endeared him to […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Boca Beacon Back Pages.
Boca Beacon backpages 4.22.2022 FIVE YEARS AGO The United Methodist Women of Boca Grande announced they raised $80,000 at the Strawberry Festival, which would be split among 25 charitable organizations. TEN YEARS AGO The Bag Lady was back at Boca Bargains, GIBA was talking about a smaller tender house and a change to catwalks, […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Entertainment.
The many wonderful voices of RPP were on offer, among them those of Julia Pierce, Alice Court, Kimberly Whipple, Jeff Lehrian and Peter Powell, as was the delightfully dramatic crooning of James Martin and comic bemoaning of Elaine Skypala. Jim Grant tweeted like a bluebird singing out “that it’s always darkest just before they turn on the lights.” Posturing humor was richly delivered as always by Jim Grace, Lynda Grant, Sally B Johnson, Cori Palmere, Erica Ress Martin, Priscilla Masselink, Sarah McDonald, Linda Rollyson, Nancy Ryan and Boots Tolsdorf. Kris Doubles brought down the house with his hysterical rendition as Lord Evelyn Oakleigh from Anything Goes! Four routines by Tappers Patty Brink, Carol Forrester, Robbin Gilligan, Mary Hancur and Ned Lehrian were highlighted, to the great delight of the audience, and accentuated following each routine by the deadpan delivery of “that’s a hard act to follow” by David Jenkins, who got laughs every time.
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
A BIG THANK YOU to Patricia Bossey, Debby & Duncan Cross, Sue Fuller, Kris Ganong, Jane & Clark Hinkley, Lori Hunter, Marge Laughlin, Anne Lyons, Rebecca Martin, Madonna Merritt and Karen Zarse, as they spent quite a bit of time stuffing over 400 boxes filled with treats for the kids. On the day of the hunt, Georgia & Maddy Aguilar, Debby & Duncan Cross, Lori Hunter, Trent Keisling, Louise Martin, Mary Ann McGowan, Honey Skinner and Karen Zarse provided assistance where needed. Special recognition goes out to Pat Chapman, who when called upon, does anything and everything that is asked of her when it comes to the children. Pat spent her 22nd year volunteering for the hunt by filling goodie boxes on Thursday and supervising the prize table on Saturday. She was wearing her 2004 Smarty Jones winning Kentucky Derby hat too. YOU ARE THE BEST, PAT!
Written by Delores Savas on . Posted in Columns, Opinion.
It has been 52 years since the first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970 in Washington, D.C., and college campuses held rallies throughout America. It was a time of awakening. Many had said that Rachel Carson’s book, “Silent Spring,” which documented the adverse environmental effect caused by the indiscriminate use of pesticides, and the Santa Barbara oil spill in 1969, one of the largest oil spills in the U.S. at the time, killing over 3,500 birds and marine animals, were the catalysts for Earth Day.
Written by Delores Savas on . Posted in Boca Beacon Back Pages, Columns, Opinion.
The story of their little church took place at a time when the island was in the midst of growing pains. Boca Grande was a town that had alligators resting on the lawns of homes along the canal, large snakes sunning on the middle of the road on cold days, and a multitude of other species of wildlife on the island. All lived in harmony. Iguanas still had not made the trip from a little Mexican town. But that’s another story for another time.
Written by Harry Kalajian, MDT on . Posted in Boca Beacon Back Pages, Columns.
Dogs may not be born aggressive toward other dogs or people. Aggression could be a result of circumstances from an early stage or a learned behavior through negative experiences. However, some dogs are born with a dominant trait and at times will demonstrate dominant aggression even when they are two months old. Other dogs may have experienced some form of abuse or a threatening situation during their young age or even later in life, where they had no choice but to be aggressive to eliminate that negative factor and avoid its recurrence.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
Boca Grande’s road resurfacing is considered by Lee County to fall into the discretionary spending category funded by transportation capital improvement fees and taxes.
Streets included in the plan are parts of East Railroad Avenue, Palm Avenue, 7th Street, 8th Street East, 9th Street East, 10th Street East through 13th Street East and 18th Street East.
Written by Boca Grande Health Clinic on . Posted in Health & Wellness.
r year-long celebration of the Boca Grande Health Clinic’s 75th anniversary, the Clinic is pleased to launch a short series of web videos that capture some of the “secrets” to having a long, productive life – told by some of the Island’s elders.
In the second episode of the series, we hear from Edith (Edie) Gardner. At 97 years young, Edie’s busy days keep her engaged and in constant motion. As a former RN, she understands the importance of healthy eating and keeping fit. She practices her “To rest is to rust” mantra by starting each day with a walk on the beach with her cherished dog.