Zimbabwe is the only African country with vast amounts of carve-able stone. In fact, the stone found there is of such great importance to the people of Zimbabwe, that the word “ Shona” is derived from a word  in their native language literally meaning “house of stone.” This art medium has been made into a world renowned traveling exhibition of these modern Zimbabwean Shona stone sculptures and, in 2022, the prestigious honor for the exhibition location has been bestowed upon the Peace River Botanical & Sculpture Gardens in Punta Gorda. Join the festivities and listen to the sound of chisels clinking against stone echoing throughout the gardens from February 4 through April 18. 

The Boca Grande Art Center is looking for volunteers for the Home Tour. All volunteers receive a 50 percent discount and can attend the tour. Volunteers will be divided into two shifts. It’s a four-hour tour, so the Art Center asks that volunteers arrive at the home prepared  to be a docent for two hours. Then they will hand their duties off to the second shift. 

What’s the number one issue on most people’s minds these days? It’s the economy, of course. And who better to provide insight on the complexities of this important issue than the speakers at the Economic Summit 2022, which will be held at 3:30 p.m., Thursday, March 3 in the Community Center Auditorium.

The Literature Forum’s February session featured an animated discussion of Isabel Allende’s “A Long Petal of the Sea,” with presenter Simonetta Balzer providing an excellent analysis of both the book and the author.
The Forum’s upcoming meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Thursday, March 3 in the Houghton Room of the Community Center.

Plexiglass has gotten a lot more use in the last two years than ever before thanks to COVID, but now you see more and more of it being discarded. Local artist Gail Cleveland found some pieces that were headed to the dump and took advantage of a true artistic – and recyclable – moment. Using an old art form with a new twist, she is painting with acrylic on the polymer sheets … and saving the universe and the environment a little bit of grief as well.

When asked where she sleeps, Iltica points to the ground in Périgny, Haiti, not far from the dilapidated home that was destroyed by a devastating earthquake last August. For Iltica and other families in Périgny, their hopes for sturdy homes are about to be realized.
Construction is scheduled to begin within the next week on the first 20 of those new homes, thanks to the perseverance and dedication of Boca Grande and Miami Valley Hope For Haitians, which has raised funds to build 41 of the 50 homes and a community center that are planned in Périgny.
Longtime Hope For Haitians Committee Chairpersons Ben and Louise Scott, natives of Piqua, Ohio, and winter residents of Boca Grande, Fla., said Haiti needs help now more than ever.

The Strawberry Festival silent auction won’t be a quiet one for the winning bidder “syndicate” of a dinner for 24 that features the music of the local Grande Bande and a fabulous view of the Gulf of Mexico. The fun-filled evening is one of 12 special items offered at the festival on Saturday March 5 at the Boca Grande Community Center grounds.

The landscape of the Cape Haze Peninsula is guaranteed to be changing dramatically in the next few years, including the possibility of a project just off island that could enhance the county boat ramp.
In March of last year Commissioner Bill Truex suggested the possibility of purchasing land on Placida Road to create more parking for the county boat ramp, and to create a new place for kayak and canoe enthusiasts to launch their vessels.
At a workshop held on Tuesday morning, Feb. 17, Charlotte County commissioners discussed the details of a proposed project that includes the purchase of four lots directly across from the Boca Grande Causeway entrance on Placida Road. The commissioners’ general tone was optimistic about purchasing the property … the nagging question, though, was how the county would pay for them.