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Lighthouse Methodist Pancake Awards

The Lighthouse UMC Pancake Breakfast Team got together to celebrate the end of another successful Pancake Breakfast Season. The breakfast cleared $4,000 which will go to Myakka River Elementary School Food Pantry. The fearless leaders Dan O’Connell and Becca deRosa received the coveted “Golden Pancake Medalla de Oro” for their work. Master Chef Extraordinaire Dan […]

OPINION: NANCY LECKERLING

Taking on a cleaner island, honoring a friend BY NANCY LECKERLING Twenty-five years ago, when my husband Jon and I were considering the purchase of a home on Captiva Island, a friend of ours, Anna Bowditch, who lived in Madison, Conn., where we did, and who loved Boca Grande, said to us, “Before you buy […]

The rains came, the island got quieter

This Tuesday, the first rain of the season arrived. It was a real rain, too, precisely at 2:29 p.m., and resulted in some “nostalgic” puddles on the sides of the roads, ably slurped up by the sandy soil. It was also the first week we got word that turtles arrived on cooled-off sand, and nesting […]

EcoWatch: Humpback whales may soon tell their stories

“The whales do not sing because they have an answer they sing because they have a song.” Gregory Colbert, poet, filmmaker, photographer There are recent reports that AI has helped scientists have a 20-minute conversation with a humpback whale, and that might help them decipher what the whales are singing. It will open up a […]

5th Street temporary beach access reopens

Lee County reopened the Boca Grande 5th Street Beach Access at dawn on Monday, April 28. This temporary access includes parking spaces and a ramp down to the beach. Patrons are advised that the current ramp is temporary and does not fully comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act standards. A permanent, ADA-compliant ramp is […]

This date in the Boca Beacon

FIVE YEARS AGO The United Methodist Women distributed funds from the Strawberry Festival to multiple local charities during the Coronavirus shutdowns. TEN YEARS AGO Island School students presented their artwork at the Boca Grande Art Alliance exhibit. FIFTEEN YEARS AGO More than 25 island business owners pledged to stay open during the summer months. The […]

Woman’s Club announces grants

For more than 75 years, the Boca Grande Woman’s Club has consistently fulfilled its mission of community improvement through contributions to community projects, local non-profit organizations, and local scholars. The Club is grateful for the support and generous contributions of island residents and businesses in achieving the Club’s mission. In response to Hurricanes Helene and […]

The Historian’s Dilemma: Nostalgia vs Fact on Gasparilla Island and Boca Grande

BY JAMES J. BLAHA, DIRECTORBOCA GRANDE HISTORY CENTER “To write history requires  a whole life of observation,  of inquiry, of labor, and correction,” Thomas Jefferson 1817 On March 14, 1986, the Boca Beacon published an adaptation from a “Letter to the Editor” originally written by Sarah Helen Pouncey. The letter is an excellent example of […]

Keylime Bistro reopens Saturday after renovation

Keylime Bistro is reopening in the Depot building Saturday morning, April 26. “It’s been tough going through this, but the light at the end of the tunnel is that we have a brand new kitchen and flooring with a beautifully renovated restaurant,” wrote Owner Sandy Stilwell Youngquist in her announcement. Stilwell’s grandson Tristen moved to […]

Help with friends, family in grief situations

We can all do a much better job of helping our friends, families and ourselves grieve.  “It comes and knocks you off your foundation,” said Dr. Stephen J. Madosky, a local counselor and therapist who came to a recent men’s breakfast held by St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church to talk about the process of grief and […]