Eleanor Aherne was the wife of the stage and movie actor, Brian Aherne. Kelli remembers movie posters from Brian’s movies on the walls of the house and a sign on one of the bedroom doors that said “We don’t rent to thespians,” proving that Brian like Eleanor had a sense of humor. Kelli has also seen a photo of the couple in bed where Eleanor has a lampshade on her head. While Brian died before Kelli met Eleanor, she has heard that he was very British and formal but that the couple held hands as they walked in Boca Grande.
Coral reefs cover less than one percent of the ocean floor but support about 25 percent of marine life. However, coral reefs worldwide are declining due to climate change, including increasing temperatures and ocean acidification, along with coral disease, pollution, overfishing and other stressors.
Florida’s Coral Reef, which stretches approximately 350 miles from the Dry Tortugas to the St. Lucie Inlet, provides more than an $8 billion economic impact, attracting visitors, protecting coastlines from major storms, and supporting diverse life, including fisheries.
Now scheduled for Thursday, March 3 from 1 to 5 p.m., the Art and Architecture Home Tour is Boca Grande Art Center’s ever-popular fundraiser. It’s a fabulous opportunity to tour six Boca Grande homes and is one of the highlights of the Boca Grande season.
The festival also will feature a special area for children that will include progressive storytelling, strawberry balloon sculptures, mural painting, carnival games, a cupcake challenge and balloon volleyball. Donated toys and games will be for sale in a separate area near the children’s activities and will include doll houses, stuffed animals, books, puzzles, bikes, Wii, baby equipment, sand toys, among others.
The celebration of life service for Ann Barry-Fitzgerald will be held Saturday, Feb. 19 at 11 a.m. at the Lighthouse United Methodist Church of Boca Grande.Anan passed away on November 6, 2021.
Born and raised in Connecticut, later moving to Berwyn, Pennsylvania with her husband Dan, Sharon learned how to play tennis at the local YMCA, where she taught aerobics classes.
“I started playing tennis when I was 27. I worked at the local YMCA, so I got free babysitting for my children. They came with me because they were zero and two years old at the time. I also got free classes, so I got to take tennis. I had never picked up a racket, but I thought it would be kind of fun. I fell in love with the game.”
Sharon met her husband, Dan, at Denison University in Ohio. After graduation, they traveled through Europe.
“When we came back, we said whoever gets a job first, the other will move to that area. Dan found a job in Berwyn, so I moved here, and we’ve been there ever since.
“My son Charlie works for a catering company in Orlando, and he loves it,” she said. “My daughter Laine works in Manhattan, but due to the pandemic, she decided to stop paying rent because she could never go to her job. Now she’s a nomad, spending a few weeks in Boston and here in Boca Grande. She says that it’s been the best thing ever for her. She was paying so much money in rent, and now she can live anywhere.”
This is a little something we can each do that will have a great impact on recycling and our environment. Trashing bags is a win for the environment and for residents and visitors who enjoy Southwest Florida. The “Keep SWFL Recycling Plastic Bag Free” initiative also aims to improve recycling efficiency by reducing the time recycling workers have to spend removing plastic bags from jammed machinery.
Waste goes up significantly on holidays and Super Bowl Sunday holds the win as the highest day for waste. By launching this campaign on Super Bowl Sunday, the biggest day for trash, we hope to get people to engage in habits where they will dispose of plastic bags properly.
To the Editor:The Boca Grande Preschool is a little jewel on our island where caring adults compassionately embrace the Island’s children. It is a place where the young working families of Boca Grande can leave their children with the peace of mind that they are in a nurturing environment focused on meeting the students’ developmental […]
To the Editor: I wish to thank the community for the outpouring of love and compassion after the passing of my dear Penny, the Island Dog Boutique shop mascot. Thank you for the hugs, cards, calls and texts, food, pictures, the plants and trees in her honor and so much more. She touched everyone who […]
Recent headlines gave the long-awaited news that The Mosaic Company, the phosphate giant that has been mining the mineral for years, has been denied a permit by the Charlotte County Commission to continue that activity. The Commission approved a change in zoning bylaws that prohibits phosphate mining and all other activities including phosphate manufacturing in the area. Mosaic is sure to refile for permits to continue to keep their massive enterprise alive. However, many organizations and activists who have opposed phosphate mining for years are ready to again fight to keep phosphate mining out of the area, due to its disastrous effect on the ecosystem. This is a victory, and hopefully the ban will last.
