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An evening to remember with President George W. Bush

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.

The guest speaker on the evening of Wednesday, Jan. 19 at the Boca Grande Community Center was the focus of a very appreciative and attentive audience – an audience that filled every chair and two additional rows in the auditorium … and the Houghton Room … and the Boca Grande Woman’s Club. The presenter spoke of his newest book and his artwork with a relaxed, casual demeanor and at many points had the crowd howling at his antics with his sister, who joined him. Their family looked on from the first two rows and seemed to enjoy the presentation as much as the audience did.
Former President George W. Bush and his sister Doro were the pair who took the stage Wednesday night, with the focus of discussion centered on his book titled, “Out of Many, One: Portraits of America’s Immigrants.” With a cover adorned by several of President Bush’s portraits of the people interviewed on the inside, it is a beautiful book … inside and out.

COVID tests and P.O. Boxes: Many have questions

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Health & Wellness.

If you have been trying to obtain the free COVID test kits that the government is sending out and you get a message that says your P.O. Box is registered to a business, you are not alone. Island post office boxholders have been calling the Boca Beacon office, asking where their tests can be sent […]

Jeannette Sorrell and ‘Apollo’s Fire’ to be shown at the Community Center

Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in News.

In the spring of 2020, as the Johann Fust Library Foundation began to plan for the next season, Board Member and Clevelander Deb Nash was enthusiastic about a 2019 documentary that she wanted to share with the Boca Grande community called “Playing with Fire: Jeannette Sorrell and the Mysteries of Conducting.”
The film, directed by two-time academy award winner Allan Miller, tells the story of the Grammy-winning artistic director and founder of Apollo’s Fire: The Cleveland Baroque Orchestra. Deb Nash and her late husband Les were passionate supporters of Apollo’s Fire.
Next week, the Boca Grande community will have a chance to see why when the documentary is shown at the Boca Grande Community Center Auditorium.

‘The Soul of America’: Jon Meacham speaks to a delighted island crowd

Written by T Michele Walker on . Posted in News.

Jon Meacham may be a Pulitzer prize-winning author and historian, but when he found out that George W. Bush was speaking at a Friends of Boca Grande event in the same week he was, he had a few things to say about it.
Noting the friendly competition, Meacham read the audience a text exchange he had with the former President. “So I wrote, ‘I was just told that I was the best-selling attraction until you wandered onto the scene. I feel like Cheney.”

OBITUARY: David Benner

Written by Boca Beacon on . Posted in Obituaries.

David R. Benner, 66, passed away on December 10, 2021. He was born April 21, 1955 in Springfield, Illinois, the son of Thomas E. and Shirley (Metzger) Benner. His childhood was spent in various locations throughout the United States due to his father’s work. His life’s journey eventually led him to southwest Florida where he […]

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Artist Carroll Swayze brings back the Englewood Invitational Outdoor Art Festival

Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.

The 34th Annual Englewood Invitational Outdoor Art Festival is slated for Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 29-30 after a two-year hiatus … and it promises to be the “Best Little Art Show” in Englewood.
The pandemic was rough on everyone, especially artists whose jobs were literally the first to shut down in March of 2020. Every show in the country was canceled in the middle of our Florida season, which left independent artists high and dry for not only work and money, but with businesses shuttered it was difficult to get supplies to work during that time.

Historic Board makes boathouse, solar panel decisions and elects new chair

Written by T Michele Walker on . Posted in News.

It was a busy Wednesday morning at the Boca Grande Community Center, as the Historic Preservation Board Meeting was called to order.
The first item on the agenda was the Special Certificate of Appropriateness (SCA) Case 7th Street Boathouse and Marina Alterations (SCA2021-00021).
“This is a non-contributing property that has been previously approved,” read Peter Blackwell, Lee County Planner and Zoning. “Replace the existing boathouse with a new design boathouse. That construction has not occurred yet, and what the applicant is asking for today is a revision to what was previously approved, I believe, in 2018. The main item that concerns staff or that’s relevant to staff review is the exterior elevations on the South elevation. Staff finds that none of these changes are really a change in the character of the building. It’s maritime industrial design either way, and they’re still keeping the metal siding.”

The top five in the county: An interview with Lee County commissioners

Written by Boca Beacon on . Posted in News.

The following information regards our Lee County commissioners, as taken from interviews with island resident Mary O’Bannon. We will be continuing on with interviews from several elected officials from Lee County and the state of Florida, to allow you to know each one a little bit better.
As far as the Boca Beacon is concerned, our readership deserves to be better acquainted with those who make and uphold our laws and create legislation. Many thanks to Mary, and to the commissioners, for helping us with that mission.

Island women in history celebrated: ‘Herstory’

Written by T Michele Walker on . Posted in Community History, News.

While doing some research for a project, Karen Grace came across a disturbing statistic. “In all the years of history, tens of thousands of years of history,” asked Karen. “How much do you think is about women?”  If you guessed 10 or five percent, you would be wrong. The answer is one-half of one percent.  […]