Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Boca Beacon Back Pages.
Boca Beacon backpages FIVE YEARS AGO The Boca Grande Garden Club celebrated their 20 year anniversary with a tea party at the home of Nora Lea Reefe. The Island School art exhibit showcased unique pieces at the Boca Grande Art Center. TEN YEARS AGO President Abraham Lincoln, or a reasonable facsimile of, told stories […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
If you missed out on any of our Boca Beacon issues, or Gasparilla Island Magazine issues for that matter, right after the storm, we might have them for you. Stop by the Beacon office (Park Avenue above Gasparilla Outfitters) and we can try to help. A word of advice, though. You will want to get […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
Sign up sheets are now available for the 2023 Howl at the Moon Tarpon Tournament, to be held on Sunday, May 28 from 7 to 10 p.m. in Boca Grande Pass. Some proceeds from the tournament benefit the Gasparilla Island Maritime Museum, the event’s host. The entry fee is $700, with a non-refundable $100 amount donated to the GIMM. Under normal circumstances, 25 percent of the proceeds goes to the museum. The remainder will be split 60/40 between the first and second place teams.
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News.
“As a volunteer, you can learn more about the island you love, or teach us all the stories you know!” said Diff. “We’re looking for volunteers to help foster our island’s vast culture, while having fun and meeting new friends in the process. History spans so many different topics and we’re sure to find something that satisfies anyone’s interests.”
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Obituaries.
Joseph Lester Albertson Jr. died on March 25, 2023. Born in New Rochelle, N.Y, on March 13, 1933, Joe attended Tabor Academy and graduated from Williams College Class of 1954. He served in the United States Army, 71st Infantry Division, in Anchorage, Alaska. Joe attended New York Law School and served as Editor of the […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News, Profiles.
The procession begins at Our Lady of Mercy church at noon, and takes about an hour. Each participant receives a booklet that contains the readings and prayers. Fr. Jerome Carosella, pastor of Our Lady of Mercy, said this booklet has been used since the ritual procession began on the island in 1986, a couple of years before he arrived on the island.
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor, News.
To the Editor: After Hurricane Ian hit, like most, we were assessing damages to our structures. All three of the historic structures that BIPS manages, operates and maintains have major damage caused by the storm and have been closed since its impacts last September. This update is specifically for Gasparilla Island Lighthouse (GIL) aka Rear […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
The second Annual Gasparilla Mallet Club Tournaments are in the history books, and they were resounding successes, according to Skip Russo, one of the tournament’s directors. At least 24 people took part in each of the two one-day tournaments, one for Golf Croquet on March 14, and one for 6-wicket Croquet on March 21. Some participants played in both tournaments.
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Community History, News.
Joseph Spadaro came to Boca Grande in the 1920s. On Sunday, March 26, 2023, his great niece, Celeste Markle, came to the Boca Grande History Center to learn more about him. Her brother Bill Perta who lives in Vermont had called a few weeks earlier looking for information about his great uncle. Since Celeste was visiting from New Haven, Connecticut with a friend in Venice, Bill gave her the information that the History Center had created three notebooks about Spadaro and the Boca Grande Hotel he’d built and opened in 1929.
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
Florida Lighthouse Day is celebrated every year at lighthouses throughout the state to commemorate Florida’s lighthouse heritage and preservation, and on the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse grounds between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. festivities will be held as well. Join them to celebrate outside with free cupcakes and lemonade, with unique souvenirs and gifts available for purchase at both Port Boca Grande Lighthouse & Museum and Gasparilla Island Lighthouse.