Written by Boca Beacon on . Posted in News.
BY MARCY SHORTUSE There were 120 excited kids in Boca Grande Pass on Saturday, June 6, all waiting to catch that winning silver king in the Grande Aire Gasparilla Island Kids Classic.Capt. Matt Haag and his team, which included Megan Huer, Jack Allgeier and Sean Hyer, came out the winners when the tournament ended. They […]
Written by Boca Beacon on . Posted in News.
BY MARCY SHORTUSE Five graduates headed toward the stage last Friday, June 5 at the Boca Grande Community Center Auditorium, while a full house of family and friends looked on. There were tears, as usual, and many smiles, as well as a few Broadway show tunes. Ciera Combrink, Gabriela Crespo, Colton Diens, Kylie Robbins and […]
Written by Boca Beacon on . Posted in News, Profiles.
BY MARCY SHORTUSE When Jeremy Chamathorn (a.k.a. Jeremy Chino) first came to Boca Grande, he was astounded by the island’s beauty. His cousin, Patrick Vollmer, had enticed him here with the promise of a job working in paradise. It wasn’t until Jeremy arrived here that he realized just how true that was. “My first thought […]
Written by Boca Beacon on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: In the course of events, both public and private, no one person or entity can possibly take sole credit for the success or failure of any undertaking. The event is the sum of so many moving parts, and those parts require much in the way of planning and coordination. So it is […]
Written by Boca Beacon on . Posted in News.
BY JACK SHORT Charlotte County Fire and EMS and the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office were part of the response team that may have saved a man’s life after he nearly drowned on May 25, Memorial Day, in Gasparilla Pass, north of Gasparilla Island. According to representatives of CCSO and Charlotte County EMS the victim, Chris […]
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BY LEW HASTINGS Tarpon Fishing. For some it’s an old family tradition, one that goes back generations. The World’s Richest Tarpon Tournament has become a tradition in its own right. In various iterations over the past 33 years, the tournament has become known both locally and by participants from around the world as “The Big […]
Written by Boca Beacon on . Posted in News.
Several incidents kept area firefighters busy over the Memorial Day weekend, but none of them were on Gasparilla Island. We did have one crime report, though. On the afternoon of Saturday, May 23 firefighters from Charlotte County were battling a brush fire that burned more than 100 acres just northwest of Coral Creek Golf Course […]
Written by Boca Beacon on . Posted in News.
BY JEAN NETHERY The Beacon welcomes back our occasional writer, Jean Nethery, who is writing this time about Ireland. This is part one in a two part series. As our Boeing 757 touched down on the Dublin runway I could almost hear the angels singing “When Irish eyes are smiling, sure ‘tis like a morn […]
Written by Boca Beacon on . Posted in News.
If you’re anywhere near Boca Grande Pass Saturday night, don’t be surprised if you hear some odd noises. The howling will be fierce, as the Howl at the Moon Invitational Tarpon Tournament will be taking place from 8 to 11 p.m. The entry fee is $500 per team. Long time local fisherman Dave “Smitty” Smith […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
BY MARCY SHORTUSE Island sea turtle patrollers were full of excitement on Thursday, May 28 when they realized they had their first confirmed green turtle nest on Gasparilla Island. “We’ve got a green!” was the post on Facebook by the Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association. They noted the green turtle’s “enthusiastic nesting style,” and said, […]