Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News, Profiles.
Come February, valentines will be on many people’s minds. For Karen Irvine, a certain type of valentine is on her mind almost all the time. She is an artist who specializes in “sailors’ valentines.” To the uninitiated, a sailor’s valentine is a piece of artwork. The art form originated in the mid-to-late 1800s in Barbados. […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Community, News.
This year, Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday. That means a slightly different timing for services on Gasparilla Island. For Lighthouse United Methodist Church, all services will be on Sunday, the 24th. There are three services: regular Sunday of Advent service at 10 a.m., a family Christmas service at 5 p.m., and a traditional candlelight […]
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Education, Letters to the Editor.
From Betsy F. Joiner: I had the most delightful experience a few Wednesday nights ago at Cape Haze Publix. I went in to do my shopping and when I walked inside I saw the happy faces of The Island School teachers lined up in front of a table. I said, what are you all doing […]
Written by Delores Savas on . Posted in Opinion, Sports & Outdoors.
When Hurricane Ian struck Boca Grande on Setember 28, 2022 with its 150 mph winds, it proved to be a catastrophic storm, causing major damage to Island life and erasing many sites. […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
Gasparilla Island State Park is finishing a regrade at the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse. Bulldozers and sand trucks were on hand this week to grade the potholes in the park and in the entrance driveway. This week, crews at the park also blocked off dune areas with a fence to protect them from pedestrians. There […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in News.
Vendor Patrick Kasprik brought a paperback Penguin Classic version of a Greek play by Euripides to the Farmers Market last Friday, Dec. 13. No one knew how the bread sales would go at the first outing of the Boca Grande Farmers Market this season. But sales went well, and the high winds and chillier weather […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in News, Opinion, Sports & Outdoors.
Last week, a subscriber came into the Beacon office to ask for help with a one-legged ibis. The ibis was stranded by his flock (or in bird lingo, a wedge, or congregation or stand of birds). People do have a habit of calling us and stopping in with their wildlife issues, both human and otherwise. […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Society.
Barrier Island Parks Society hosted the evening Dec. 9, 2023. The crowd was welcomed by Scott Feringa and Sharon McKenzie. The evening proved to be a festive time as many attendees arrived to celebrate the lighting of the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse. The friends gathered, sang carols and enjoyed the sights of the season. Shown […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Columns, Opinion.
By Dr. Raymond A. James What does it mean to be a good physician? What makes a physician great? These are difficult questions, and they can mean different things to different people. Some patients are willing to overlook a poor bedside manner to be treated by someone who is reported to be the expert in […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News, Profiles.
There is not much good to be said about the recent worldwide COVID pandemic, but at least one person has found a silver lining for that terrible time. She discovered that she could work from home. That seemed impossible before she was forced to do it. Jennifer Burby is a civil litigator. She has been […]