Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
The Basin Sailing Yacht Club (BSYC) held its annual “Island Championships” on Sunday, April 23 at the Boca Bay Powerhouse lagoon. Racing conditions were great, with southwest breezes, and the races were close. The final outcome after seven races was John Foster (1st), Sam Howe (2nd) and Commodore Eric Holch (3rd). John Foster as MVP […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community History, News.
Johns Knight is the newly-elected president of the Boca Grande Historical Society. The Knight family came to Florida in 1840, settling first in Manatee County and later in Charlotte County. Before arriving on Gasparilla Island in 1906 to work on the railroad trestle at the north end of the island, the Knight family members ranched cattle and had a store on the Peace River. In Boca Grande, several generations of the family have been caretakers, sheriff, boat designers, builders and salvagers, librarians and marina managers. Currently Johns is a realtor.
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News.
The Gasparilla Island Lighthouse is open for business again. The historic structure was seriously damaged during Hurricane Ian, but with the help of many groups and individuals, it has been restored and is open again to the public.
A grand ribbon-cutting officially marked the Lighthouse’s return on Saturday, April 22. Sharon McKenzie, the Barrier Island Parks Society’s executive director, thanked the many people who helped make the return happen in a timely way. That included the Florida Lighthouse Association, Island TV and the Boca Grande Disaster Relief Fund, overseen by the Lighthouse United Methodist Church, as well as all the people of the community who contributed to the fund.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Boca Beacon Back Pages, Columns.
Boca Beacon backpages Aries: This is the week of self-realization, meaning you’ll realize how many chips you scarfed down during the Golden Girls marathon. Maybe the answer to what your pondering isn’t at the bottom of the chip back but in the words of the Ms. Petrillo herself – “To get back to my youth […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Boca Beacon Back Pages, Columns.
Written by Boca Grande Health Clinic on . Posted in Health & Wellness, News.
In what researchers are calling “an enormous leap forward in the understanding of Parkinson’s disease,” a new tool has been discovered that can detect pathology in spinal fluid of people who have not yet been diagnosed or exhibited clinical symptoms of the disease but are at a high risk of developing it.
The new research, published last week in the journal Lancet Neurology, describes the use of α-synuclein seeding amplification assay (αSyn-SAA), a technique to amplify then analyze clusters of the tiny protein that builds up in the brains of those with the disease. This new tool could open the door to early detection of abnormal alpha-synuclein – known as the “Parkinson’s protein.”
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, Obituaries.
Elsie Bracken: 1933 – 2023 The one man who could tame Elsie Bracken, has done so. God took her on April 15, 2023, and probably had no idea what he was getting himself into. One perfect description was given by a friend of hers: “A jalapeno frosted in fondant.” If the word “feisty” belittles her, […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Health & Wellness, News.
The Boca Grande PurpleStride PanCan walk to raise funds for research and treatment of pancreatic cancer that we wrote about last week will be held on April 29, meeting under the sunshade at the Boca Grande Community Center to walk or golf cart a 1.5 mile route through town. The walk will end up back […]
Written by Boca Beacon on . Posted in News.
Families in Périgny, Haiti, have new hope as Boca Grande Hope For Haitians has successfully raised funds to build 37 homes, inching closer to its goal of 40 homes. A community center, a key component of the development, is 70 percent completed and is on track to be finished this month. Under the leadership of […]
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: I admit to being a die-hard gawker of the beautiful homes on BG – all types, but especially the architectural gems along the perimeter of the island. For me the only city homes more fun to gawk at are in Amsterdam, where they are also nestled along the banks of the sea […]