Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
The feature profile stories in the Boca Beacon add a personal touch to the newspaper each week. Here are a few quotes from some of the prominent interviews that took place in 2017. “Everyone on the island is so nice and friendly; it’s almost like having another family. I feel fortunate to be able to work in Boca Grande […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Editorial, Featured News, Letters to the Editor, News, Opinion.
To the Editor: This January, The Gasparilla Inn – a landmark destination on Florida’s Gulf Coast – will welcome guests for a weekend filled with golf, yoga, spa services and much more – all part of its 2018 Golf and Yoga Wellness Retreat. The thoughtfully designed weekend features guest instructor Sage Johnson, PGA, founder of […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Profiles.
■ BY SUE ERWIN Bobbie Marquis ran a successful consulting business serving clients in Boca Grande and in the Englewood area for years, and now she’s working on the island full time as the executive director for the Johann Fust Library Foundation. She officially accepted her new title in November, but she’s been serving as the interim […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Editorial.
BY MARCY SHORTUSE – If the names Michael Wenzel, Robert Lee Benac and Spencer Heintz mean anything to you, you’ve probably heard that they were recently arrested by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission after a four-month-long investigation regarding animal cruelty. To explain it another way, they were the shark draggers. Wenzel was charged with […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Profiles.
BY SUE ERWIN – Robert Domke has been spending summers in Southwest Florida since he was 10 years old. His grandparents lived in Englewood, and when school let out each year, his parents would send him down to Florida to visit them. “I was very close with both of my grandparents, so instead of staying at home […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ MARY COOK World War II historian Lynne Olson returns next week to talk about “Last Hope Island, Occupied Europe and the Brotherhood that Helped Turn the Tide of War.” When she spoke to the Friends of Boca Grande Community Center last year, she says she “felt right at home” and eagerly anticipates the 4:30 PM, Wednesday, December […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
‘Tis two months till ‘The Taste’ and all through our town, Christmas shoppers, festive trees and Christmas cheer abound. The shops are filled with presents for all, And Santa is due soon to make his call, With presents for both young and old, though … He’s heavy on seniors (so we’ve been told). In the […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ BY VINNIE PORTELL For 63 years, citizens of the Boca Grande community have gathered in the center of town to celebrate the arrival of the Christmas season with the lighting of the town Christmas tree. The tradition all began when three members of the Boca Grande Woman’s Club decided to transplant a tree from […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Profiles.
■ BY SUE ERWIN Jack Cosgrove is relishing life in Boca Grande. He’s been working at Newlin’s Mainely Gourmet Market since September, but before that he was taking care of property for Mrs. Dodo Hamilton, who unfortunately passed away a few months ago. The Pennsylvania native came here when his uncle and aunt, Tim and Celeste, asked […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ BY SUE ERWIN What happens when you are 23 and just earned your college degree, but aren’t sure what to do with your life just yet? That was the situation Andrew Forsthoefel had to figure out after he graduated from college in Vermont in 2011. So he packed a backpack and spent the next […]