Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News.
■ STAFF REPORT The 2017 Boca Grande Tarpon Festival is almost here, and excitement is brewing as the island prepares for this annual event. This Tarpon Festival will be held on Friday and Saturday, May 26 – 27 in beautiful downtown Boca Grande. The Memorial weekend event centers around the World’s Richest Tarpon Tournament, held […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
■ BY SUE ERWIN The temperature is getting balmier and the water is getting warmer, and the manatees know what they should be doing this time of year. Mating season has started, and many manatees have recently been spotted around the Seventh Street boathouse and along the shallow waters in the bay. This is a […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News.
■ BY MARCY SHORTUSE Gasparilla Island and its surrounding waters have thousands upon thousands of visitors every year who come for the fishing, the boating and the beaches. Out of those thousands of people we are blessed every year that our accident and drowning numbers remain very low, particularly considering the Boca Grande Fire Department […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News.
■ BY SUE ERWIN The dredging of Stump Pass continues to draw questions, but Charlotte County leaders are calling the project priceless. The dredging will connect Lemon Bay to the Gulf of Mexico. The dredge contractor, Great Lakes Dredge and Dock, has completed over 125,000 cubic yards out of 150,000 cubic yards on the Updrift […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Profiles.
■ BY SUE ERWIN When JoAnn Barwick accepted a secretarial position at a public relations firm in New York City at the age of 22, she never would have guessed the serendipitous path that would eventually lead to a thrilling career. She grew up in the Midwest in Rockford, Illinois and attended Wagner College, a private […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News.
■ SUBMITTED BY GIBA The GIBA quarterly board meeting was held on Wednesday, April 24, 2017 in the Woman’s Club Room at the Boca Grande Community Center. The executive director’s report included traffic and revenue figures for the first two quarters of 2017. Traffic counts were flat compared to last year, with a corresponding one-percent […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News.
■ BY SUE ERWIN A little girl with island ties who’s been battling cancer since last year has been handling it like a true warrior, and we thought we’d give you an update on her progress. Several months ago, Zoe Guy experienced a common cold that just wouldn’t go away. After weeks had passed, her […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News.
■ BY SUE ERWIN Tank’s Legacy, a local 501(c)3 pet rescue organization that works to save animals scheduled to be euthanized, is asking area supporters for help. Recently, some members of the organization traveled to Hernando County to rescue a pot-bellied pig that was scheduled to be euthanized the next day. The following day they […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Featured News, News.
■ BY SUE ERWIN Ten female athletes who were members of the Arizona State University swim team reunited recently at the Sharp House in Boca Grande. They had not seen each other in nearly 40 years, but once they were together again, it seemed like a day hadn’t passed. The ladies swam together at ASU […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News, Profiles.
■ SUE ERWIN Gasparilla Island State Park Ranger Jon Dillard loves being outdoors. And in October of 2015, he landed a job in an ideal place to launch his career. Jon is from Clermont, Florida and attended school in the small town just west of Orlando. Jon said it used to be a quiet, rural town […]