Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
While the adults are getting ready to “Howl” at Sunday night’s Howl at the Moon Tarpon Tournament, young fisherfolk from throughout the area are getting ready to have their own tarpon tournament next weekend. The Howl will take place from 7 to 10 p.m. on Sunday, May 28. Awards will be given out at Whidden’s […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
This week island resident Gary Martin was out in his boat going around the island, looking for gunk. It’s not an activity that a lot of people partake in, but he is very concerned about the vast amount of floating organic matter in our harbor and backcountry water. Gary had already seen it in the water in front of his island home – patches of what appears to be sludge mixed with collard greens, followed by a disturbing absence of seagrass in the shallow waters right outside of his home. But he wanted to see how far it went and how much there was.
He took Boca Beacon Publisher Dusty Hopkins with him to take photographs. Gary thought they would have to go down to Redfish Pass to see large amounts of the gunk, but they didn’t get that far. They had already seen three huge fields of it before they got anywhere close. They also saw more bald spots in the harbor and Intracoastal where the seagrass was gone.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Obituaries.
Mark Steven Wyman, 70, died on Friday, May 12, 2023. Born in Detroit, Michigan on Nov. 16, 1952 to Douglas and Barbara Wyman, he graduated from Fenwick High School, where he developed a passion for swimming. At the urging of his grandmother and his Aunt Peg, he moved to Boca Grande, Florida in the 1970s. […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News, Profiles.
Gary Robinson loves making music. Making it for the people of Boca Grande raises it to a whole new level for him. Gary is the drummer for the new rock band known as “The Green Flash, Boca Grande,” which has taken the island by storm this past spring. The music the band plays and the town have a lot in common.
“It’s what I love about Boca Grande, “ Gary said. “We’ve been coming here for over 30 years, and it’s like stepping back in time. Like when I was younger, much younger. Like the ‘60s and ‘70s. That hasn’t been lost here … courtesy and friendliness. I get very emotional about it.”
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Columns.
Boca Beacon backpages FIVE YEARS AGO The “Blaze” team with Capt. Waylon Mills took first place in the World’s Richest Tarpon Tournament, right after taking top honors at Ladies Day. TEN YEARS AGO There was a protest in the Pass. About 20 boats carrying more than 100 people were protesting the first Professional Tarpon Tournament […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
If the tarpon could talk, they would tell you some tall tales about Capt. Frank Davis. Some would tell you about the time he had their grandfather on the line, others would tell the story of the time they were in a school of sharks, fighting for their life. Yep, those tarpon whine a lot when it comes to the mention of Frank’s name.
Davis’ team aboard “Native” took first in the 2023 Ladies Day Tarpon Tournament last Saturday with anglers Kristi Davis-Reinholt, Lisa Hayes and Gail Davis. They had the first set of three releases of the tournament.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
Lee County Parks & Recreation Supervisor Jesse Kanuch has left his position at the Boca Grande Community Center, leaving many wondering what will happen next. According to Lee County, it’s just business as usual.
According to Communications Director Betsy Clayton, they have sent a replacement to temporarily take Kanuch’s place. All scheduling, she said, will still be done by Parks and Recreation.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
The Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association has been busy already with the annual activities, including one very unusual nest, bird nests and lighting issues on the beach.
According to Denise Juergens, a resident found these sea turtle tracks (shown at right) on the Charlotte Harbor side of the island, which is the first time in a long time – if ever – that a turtle has tried to nest there.
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
Lee County Parks and Recreation and the Boca Beacon will sponsor another youth fishing event this Saturday, May 20 beginning at 9 a.m. at the Boca Grande North Fishing Pier (the road behind Kappy’s Market). There is no fee to enter, and all children up to the age of 14 are welcome to participate. Bring […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Profiles.
Being in the family chiropractic business was not the original plan for Francine Finucan (fah-NU-kin). She was supposed to be a college-educated stay-at-home wife and mother. That was her father’s plan for her. Francine – Frankie to her friends – had other plans. Among them was to come to Florida and help people stay healthy and fit in multiple ways.
Frankie was the oldest of three siblings. According to her father, who was a well-known chiropractor in Roseville, Michigan for 50 years, Frankie’s brother Paul was to be the chiropractor. He was to take over dad’s business when the time was right. Their younger brother Andrew was going to be president of the United States. Dad is one out of three so far. (Andrew could still become president if he really tried.)