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Hindsight is 2020 …

BY KATHY JAMES – No one will dispute that the year 2020 had its challenges, the biggest being COVID-19, the global pandemic. It was and is devastating to so many people for so many reasons in terms of life, livelihood, and mental health. It is too soon to know its total measurable impact just yet, […]

Ready to catch the big one? Mark your calendar for the youth fishing tournament on February 27

STAFF REPORT – Grab your fishing pole and tackle box and come join the family fun at our youth fishing tournament on Saturday, Feb. 27 at 9 a.m. at the Boca Grande fishing pier (Behind Kappy’s Market). Tournaments are for boys and girls ages 15 and under.  Bait will be provided (no lures allowed). This […]

GICIA Mercabo Cove seagrass planting effort brought to light

SUBMITTED BY THE GICIA – In January 2016, the Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association successfully acquired the Mercabo property located at the entrance to Gasparilla Island. It was in late 2015 that a rumor began to circulate that an offer had been made by a resort developer to purchase the 30 acres, armored by […]

A quick salmon recipe from Chef Perkins: Fast and delicious

 Braden Perkins was born in New Orleans and grew up in Boston. Braden worked for four years with celebrity chef Tom Douglas in Seattle. In 2011 Braden and his partner, Laura Adrian, opened their first restaurant, Verjus, beside the Palais Royal in the center of Paris, France. In 2015 the duo opened their second restaurant […]

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Not everyone can ‘Ditch the Cart’

To the Editor: The recent “Ditch the Cart, Live Longer” polemic advising golf on foot rather than by cart has it wrong. My senior friends and I often have age related orthopedic, cardiovascular or other issues which make cart golf necessary. Metabolic data like “calorie burn” and step-counts used in attempts to show benefits of […]

PROFILE: George Benisek

BY TONYA BRAMLAGE – This is no fish tale of that you can be sure, although George Benisek has no shortage of fisherman tales to tell. An avid, lifelong fisherman,  he began fishing when he was just a young boy. George and his late wife Barbara of 63 years were living on Captiva when they […]

Historic Preservation Board meeting begins with request for NHR input from community

BY SUSAN HANAFEE – The chairman of the Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board on Wednesday urged all residents to let their voices be heard on a proposal to nominate a section of the historic district to the National Register of Historic Places. “Since a national listing would create an attraction and additional tourist interest in […]

Organizations turn to creativity in unusual season

BY SUSAN HANAFEE – Virtual speakers, open air musicals, art shows without the usual wine and cheese receptions, pop-up history tours in parking lots – all have been part of the creativity local not-for-profit organizations have exhibited in dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic. And the results have been gratifying for most organizations, as support and […]

BGHS takes note of a rare ‘Magna Carta’

BY SUSAN HANAFEE – Jim Blaha calls the mountain of material the Boca Grande Historical Society received from the attic of a woman in Tennessee late last year the “Magna Carta.” And, indeed, the collection of books and documents contains the names and signatures of such notables as Albert Gilchrist, Peter Bradley and other “movers […]

‘All that Jazz’ featured this week on the lawn

BY T MICHELE WALKER – The Friends of Boca Grande Community Center have managed to keep jazz alive in Boca Grande with their concert series “All That Jazz” made available to a broader audience. World-renowned trumpeter Dominick Farinacci took to the auditorium stage Monday evening as the performance was livestreamed outside the pavilion and in […]