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. 

Absalom Markland and Ulysses Grant knew each other briefly while attending school in Kentucky. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Grant called on his high school friend to create an efficient system for mail delivery. At one point, Markland and his team were handling 250,000 pieces of mail a day. So in short he was the man responsible for delivering the most important morale builder, letters from home.

It all starts promptly at 10:30 a.m. with the Bike Path Parade – assemble on 7th Street near the traffic cones on the Bike Path. You can find a registration form online (bgwc.org/parade). The deadline for the online registrations has been extended to March 24, so register NOW! Decorate your bike, scooter or golf cart with your vision of your favorite Superhero; there will be special prizes in multiple categories!

Art After Dark is a sensory celebration that the J.McLaughlin store will be hosting the evening of March 30. This is the second such program the store has sponsored, using its outside wall as a canvas to display iconic photographic work. This time the artist is Susan Wood, world famous photographer to the stars of movies, music, fashion and politics, as well as a highly skilled photojournalist capturing down-to-earth happenings.