Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
On Monday, June 5 a little girl made a fantastic find just off the north end of Palm Island, south of Stump Pass. Amateur sheller Olivia Green, eight, of Texas had visited this beach many times before, as her family has a place on Palm Island and she always checked her shell guide – purchased at Fugate’s – to research her found treasures.
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
Lee County reminds the public that fertilizers containing nitrogen or phosphorous may not be used on lawns and landscapes during the rainy season, between June 1 and September 30. Excessive nutrients – nitrogen and phosphorus – from fertilizer used on urban lawns and landscapes can have a detrimental effect on water quality in Southwest Florida. […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Profiles.
I’ve been coming to Boca since I was a kid. I remember coming to the beach and coming to go fishing. I started working in Boca Grande in 1990, when I started as a maintenance worker for The Gasparilla Inn & Club. Not long after, I accepted a position as assistant mechanic. I worked at The Gasparilla Inn for 16 years.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Community History, News.
You might have seen her around downtown or at Whidden’s lately, hair in a bun with a cupful of brushes and her sweet little dog Pearl at her feet. Leslie Ann Joiner is a local artist with a very particular, vivid, primitive style who can tell you stories of the island like you wouldn’t believe. […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Columns.
Boca Beacon backpages FIVE YEARS AGO “Miss Sarah” won the Ladies Howl, the red tide was really bad, and the night-blooming cereus was spectacular. TEN YEARS AGO The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted 4-3 to pursue the ban on jigs, a type of bottom-weighted lure that has a tendency to snag a tarpon, […]
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: Lemon Bay Conservancy is pleased to announce it has received a $6,800 grant from the Charlotte Community Foundation. These funds will support replacement of the maintenance shed at Lemon Creek Wildflower Preserve that was destroyed by Hurricane Ian. As the center for philanthropy in Charlotte County, the Charlotte Community Foundation (CCF) envisions […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
As they headed home on the waters of Boca Grande Pass last Saturday night, Hugh Potter and his friends Braden Dolphin, Grady Abbott and Brandt Cataldo were pretty sure they had won the Gasparilla Island Kids Classic with their five releases. There’s always that bit of trepidation that stops one from completely believing it’s true until you’re standing on stage receiving the awards. Not to mention, Grady caught that fifth fish just minutes before the tournament ended, when radio traffic in the Pass was pretty crazy.
Eventually, of course, they were on that stage. Out of 21 boats and 78 anglers, they were the four who made it to the big time … maybe with a little help from Capt. Travis Joiner on their boat, “Family Tradition.”
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
There’s a lot of work to be done at the south end of the island, specifically at the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse, the Amory Chapel and even on Cayo Costa. As many of our readers are probably well aware, trying to set things right after a storm of the magnitude of Hurricane Ian is a game of “Hurry-Up-and-Wait,” which can be tedious and frustrating. It is no different for our historic landmarks at the south end that we love so well.
According to Sharon McKenzie, the executive director of the Barrier Island Parks Society (BIPS), the laundry list of repairs that need to be done is long. Knowing it is important to keep residents of the island abreast of what’s going on, she gave us a peek into what they are going through right now. They cannot lobby, only inform when it comes to these matters.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Community History, News.
The Boca Grande Historic Preservation Board has just one item on the agenda this month for their meeting at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, June 14 in the Community Center auditorium, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will be brief. The saga of the property at 161/181 Gilchrist Avenue, owned by the Adam family of Texas, continues with a discussion about the validity of attempting to name a tree there as historic.
At the Board’s last meeting, one of their members, Becky Paterson, expressed concern for the banyan tree on the east side of the property by the sidewalk known to some as “The Octopus Tree.” It was named as such back in the 1920s and ’30s by the island children who used to climb it.
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Profiles.
If you happen to be in Boca Grande in the daytime on a Monday or Wednesday, you may be intrigued by the playful or plaintive sound of a lone flute wafting on the air currents. It is not your imagination. It is Paul Rozmus, entertaining guests at the Key Lime Bistro at the south end of the Railroad Depot building.
Paul and his wife Renata are both classically trained musicians who play at the Bistro several days and nights for the enjoyment of Bistro patrons and anyone else in the vicinity. Although their training is classical, their repertoire for the Bistro is fun and eclectic. It includes smooth jazz, rock, soca, contemporary and up-tempo jazz, R and B – and a rendition of “Happy Birthday,” if the occasion fits.