Skip to main content
Search Results for “un”

PROFILE: Pastor Gary Beatty

Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Featured News, Profiles.

If it is wrong to lie about your age when you are 16 so you can earn money to help your mother support the family, Pastor Gary Beatty has probably been forgiven. What was truly wrong was how poor he and his mother and five sisters were. Someone had to relieve the burden, so young Gary took it up as his responsibility. He joined the National Guard to get a paycheck. 

The Beatty family was not the only poor family in Lancaster, Ohio, and Gary was not the only underage boy who enlisted in 1956. 
“It wasn’t that uncommon,” Pastor Beatty recalled. “There were probably eight or 10 of us in our company who were underage.”

OBITUARY: Klaas “Dutch” Heidsieck

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Obituaries.

Klaas “Dutch” Frans Heidsieck, 84, of Sea Island, Ga. died Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023 at Hospice of the Golden Isles. Brunswick Memorial Park Funeral Home is assisting the family. Dutch was a long-time resident of Boca Grande, a volunteer with many organizations and was loved by many.  His obituary is pending.

THIS DATE IN THE BOCA BEACON

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Community History, Featured News.

FIVE YEARS AGOThe Boca Grande Historical Society was celebrating “Railroad Week” by introducing a new exhibit called “Railroads, Phosphate and Real Estate.” TEN YEARS AGO We had a sunrise eclipse. FIFTEEN YEARS AGO John McCain took the island vote in the polls with 58 percent. Island businesses were shuffling from locations and some disappeared altogether […]

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Come check out upcoming History Center programs  

Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Community History, Featured News.

To the Editor: On Tuesday, Nov. 14 join the Boca Grande Historical Society in welcoming John Pether to discuss Florida’s timeless boats. The presentation will cover highlights from his book, “Wood, Fiberglass, and Steel: The History of Boat Building on Florida’s Gulf Coast,” about the history of boat building on the Gulf Coast of Florida […]

Tropical Nights to feature two Neiman serigraphs (a few other familiar artists will be there, too)

Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, Featured News, News.

Two rare Neiman serigraphs will be auctioned off at the YMCA 27th Annual Tropical Nights fundraiser on November 18, 2023. The event kicks off at 5 p.m. at Palm Island Resort. Cocktails and gourmet dinner catered by Rum Bay Restaurant will accompany a live and silent auction featuring many other items including local artwork, vacation packages, golf, […]

Turtle Patrol gives end-of-season wrap-up

Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in News.

Hurricane Idalia effectively ended the sea turtle nesting season this year, much like Hurricane Ian did last year. The good news is that most of the nesting season was already completed before either storm hit the area. 

This season the number of nests and hatchlings was down from 2022, according to Denise Juergens, marine turtle permit holder for the Boca Grande Sea Turtle Association (BGSTA), which covers the entire island except for the state park properties. She said, however, that there was good news with this year’s final tally of nests and hatchlings. 

“This year the depredation rate in our nests went from roughly 47 percent in 2022 to 12 percent,” she said. 

Depredation is the disturbance of the nests and hatchlings by dogs, seabirds, raccoons, ghost crabs and other predators. On Gasparilla Island, most of the destruction is done by coyotes, Juergens said.

Might the sailboat at 9th be gone soon?

Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.

Word has it that Lee County might be working to remove the sailboat lodged in the sand at 9th Street beach since Hurricane Ian … maybe even as early as today. On Thursday, Oct. 26 it was discussed that 9th Street beach access would be closed today, Friday, Nov. 3 so that the company A-C-T […]