Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
Never has there been a time when wildlife rescue volunteers were needed more on Gasparilla Island. To say there is a dire lack of people willing to pick up and drive injured or ill wildlife to local rehabilitation centers is an understatement – in fact, there are virtually none. From 2005, Blanche, co-owner of The […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Community History.
Doug and Frank Davis spoke for themselves, their sister Robin Davis Melvin and Doug’s wife Gail Coleman Davis at the Feb. 9 History Bytes presentation. During the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, the Davis family lived in Arcadia and in Belle Glade but their summers and holidays were spent in a house on Gilchrist, across from St. Andrew’s Church, that was haunted. The ghost they called George appeared regularly. A bedroom door would open, a bright light would be seen – Doug says it looked like someone had turned on the hall light – then a figure would appear. Once they found footprints on the hall floor in some spilled body powder Robin or her mother Judy used before going to bed. And their dog, Coco, growled at sounds of footsteps coming up the stairs but there was no one there. While startling at first, George was not threatening and they learned to live with him.
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Obituaries.
Carol Ann Richardson, 86, of Middle Bass Island, Ohio and 25 year winter resident of Boca Grande, passed away on Tuesday Jan.18, 2022 from lymphoma at the Renaissance Retirement Community in Olmsted Falls, Ohio. Carol was born Carol Adams on August 24, 1935 to Wesley Adams and Helen (nee Sutherin) Adams in Canonsburg, Penn. Carol […]
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor:
Two weeks ago, our family had a wonderful vacation in Boca Grande. It was our third visit to the island and we had rented a hundred plus-year-old cottage on Tarpon Ave. We love what a step back in time this charming town portrays. No chain stores, no high rises, no litter, no graffiti, a fabulous bike path and walking path, very little vehicular traffic, beautiful beaches, and a warm, friendly, welcoming attitude that is hard to find. Everyone is so outdoorsy and active. It is obvious the residents take great pride in their property and are grateful to live in such a special place.
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor:
Having spent most of my life in and around Placida, I am writing to express my thoughts and concerns about the planned development of the old Fishery property located in Placida. I am not anti-growth or against change but I’m saddened to see the elimination of a place’s traditional identity. Seems to me that smart growth incorporates that identity into the new development.
Written by Delores Savas on . Posted in Columns, Opinion.
Almost every year Ecowatch has written love quotes from poets who have exclaimed the power and joy of love between man and women, animals sharing love and other venues of love. However, there is another pathway to love that is too often overlooked and that is the love of trees and what they wish to share with all of us.
Written by Harry Kalajian, MDT on . Posted in Columns.
You’re fed up with your dog for not listening to you, so you look for a trainer who can educate Fido to be the perfect dog. Well, there’s more to it than just hiring a professional trainer to help you. Dog training is not hard as long as you follow instructions from the trainer and practice. But don’t think that one or two classes with your trainer will make Fido a perfect dog. The trainer is not a magician.
Written by Delores Savas on . Posted in Columns, Opinion.
I had every intention of listing some good and bad events in the ecosystem that needed to be shared. However, I shall digress for just a short time. Long-time readers of this column are familiar with the many quotes I have used through the years. I usually pick a writer who has something to say and will nudge people to think.
One such person I have used often was Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States. He was responsible for setting aside land for our national parks that people still enjoy and use today. He was the ultimate conservationist, and he said, “The conservation of natural resources is the fundamental problem. Unless we solve that problem, it will avail us little to solve others.” His most famous quote gave us a little peek into his character: “Speak softly and carry a big stick — and you will go far.” He went on to say, “I’m a part of everything I have read. I am an American, free born and free bred, where I acknowledge no man as my superior except for his own worth, or as my inferior, except for his own demerit.”
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
NOW IS THE TIME TO CONFESS YOUR LOVE, WHETHER IT’S RED AS FIRE OR WHITE AS A DOVE;YOUR LAST DAY TO SEND THEM IS FEBRUARY 8, IF YOU KNOW WHAT’S GOOD FOR YOU, YOU SHALL NOT BE LATE!Email your lovelines to mshortuse@bocabeacon.com by Tuesday, Feb. 8.
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Community, Community History, News.
Janet Gillespie who lived in Boca Grande between 1978 and 2004 told stories of the jobs she held, the friends she made, the programs she helped start and the pranks she pulled to the interest and delight of the audience at the Historical Society’s first History Byte since 2020. A number of themes ran through Janet’s presentation, her love of horses and of the water and fishing, her creative friends with whom she started several Island organizations and events and her history of pulling pranks.