To the Editor: The Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association (GICIA) continues to encourage everyone to be safe and courteous when using the Bike Path. With another wave of visitors coming to the island to enjoy spring break and Easter, the number of people utilizing the GICIA Bike Path will certainly increase. So, in our […]
Florida Lighthouse Day will be celebrated at two island lights on Saturday, April 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Both lighthouses will be open to climb for a $5 donation, and there will be refreshments, children’s crafts and much more.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection will be partnering with Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves’ nature boat tours from 10 a.m. to noon and 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Friday, April 7 and Monday, April 10. The tours are conducted by CHAP. The organization manages 5 of the 41 aquatic preserves in the state: Matlacha […]
■ STAFF REPORT The Boca Grande Hope for Haitians has stepped up its home-building mission in Haiti with the international relief and development organization Food for the Poor by funding one of its most ambitious home-building projects since it began working through the charity in 2009. “I want to express my gratitude to God for […]
■ STAFF REPORT The restoration of the Gasparilla Island Light, also known as the Range Light, is complete, but before we pop the champagne corks the Barrier Island Parks Society has an important request in regard to our much-loved givers of light. According to Larry Hannah, Chairman of The Lightkeeper’s Fund, they need […]
■ STAFF REPORT. Gasparilla Island has made the list again as one of the most expensive zip codes in the country. In last month’s edition of Time Magazine, each state’s most expensive zip code was listed. Due to our incredibly small size and incredibly high real estate values, we quite often make this list. […]
■ SUE ERWIN Miranda Blackwell had never heard of Boca Grande or even visited the state of Florida before she decided to take a leap of faith and relocate to Englewood three years ago with her boyfriend, Adam. She presently works as the administrative assistant at The Gasparilla Inn & Club Marina. Miranda grew up in […]
Ellen “Jane” Pasman passed away peacefully in her home on Boca Grande on January 22, 2017 with her children by her side. She left this world 11 weeks to the day after her devoted husband of 59 years, Jim. When people speak of the Greatest Generation, they focus mainly on the men, but it applies […]
BY MARCY SHORTUSE – Two traditional art shows are on the horizon in the near future, including the Boca Grande Master’s Art and Wine Festival and Island Art Days. On Saturday and Sunday, March 25 and 26 the wine will flow and the art will be prolific at the Master’s Art and Wine Festival. The […]
To say that about Mr. Rockefeller is an understatement. Figures from his recent obituaries run anywhere from $900 million to $2 billion that he donated to causes throughout his lifetime. Neil deGrasse Tyson did the math, and he tweeted that if Mr. Rockefeller donated $900 million, it was the equivalent to donating $24,000 for every day of his life … and he lived to be 101. I believe the truer donation figure was much more, so that’s a whole lot of money.
He took his grandfather’s words very seriously, but I believe he was a man of true heart either way. He had friends from all walks of life, and he varied his dinner companions as much as he could because he loved good conversation. He met with leaders from other countries that many would have shunned; he helped people that others would never have helped (there was that whole Iran hostage thing that happened – Google it if you don’t know what happened there); and he did all of this with no remorse. He did what he thought was right and kept moving forward.