Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Featured News, News.
It was just over a year ago that 16-year-old Penelope Griggs Doerge, called “Penny” by her family and friends, died at home in Glen Cove, N.Y. of a common but exceedingly difficult genetic disorder, neurofibromatosis. The disorder causes tumors to grow on nerve pathways anywhere in the body. There is no cure. In the year […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News, Profiles.
It didn’t take long for Dr. Patrick Bell to fall in love with Boca Grande and all of Gasparilla Island. He came for a weekend visit, and by the third day, he had bought a house and decided this would be his permanent home. That was in 1994. The local real estate agent was actually […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
By Michelle Starr Manatees are on the move. Over the last few weeks our beloved sea cows have been spotted in groups of as large as six around the Boca Grande Fishing Pier. They have also been feasting away from the shore on the seagrass of Gasparilla Sound. Seeing a manatee or two throughout the […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, News.
The Barrier Island Parks Society will share the magic of the season at the annual lighting of the Lighthouse. Join them at Port Boca Grande Lighthouse & Museum between 5:30 and 8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. Gates to the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse & Museum will open at 5:30 p.m. and the annual […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
The Boca Grande Farmer’s Market will return Friday, Dec. 15 for the 2023-24 season. Due to the market location being used for a Hurricane Ian debris site, the county was unable to permit it to open last season. Organizers have been busy lining up a list of vendors which now includes some local artists and […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News, Profiles.
Before her reign as Miss America was to come to an end, a stop in Boca Grande was essential for Grace Stanke. With the help of Diane Cook – Grace’s great-aunt, a Boca Grande resident and a member of the Boca Grande Woman’s Club – that highlight of her year was fulfilled this week. Grace […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Editorial, Opinion.
The dedication of the new island Christmas tree gave the island a moment of cultural clarity last Sunday night. It was a perfect evening – the cookies, the weather, the breeze, the sunset. The crowd that gathered was at minimum 500, using the Jacobs Method: Add up the people in a section and then count […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Community, Profiles, Uncategorized.
Every issue, the Boca Beacon highlights one of our own in our Page 3 In The Spotlight. We look to the community to see who is making news, whether they be a volunteer for one of our non-profits like BIPS, or the retired important people who have come here after long careers elsewhere and reinvented […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
When a group of Cape Haze residents met last month with Charlotte County officials about a proposed sewer project in their neighborhood, they had a new set of data: water quality tests taken by a group of high school volunteers. The group, led by biologist and resident Robert J. Robbins, took the surveys by boat […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community History, News.
Almost ten years ago, James Blaha joined the Board of Directors of the Boca Grande Historical Society, and he and Rose Marie Blaha began to volunteer at the History Center. Their combined backgrounds include teaching, chairing humanities departments, museum administration, library resource centers and consulting. Jim notes that he spent several summers on archeology projects […]