Written by Boca Beacon on . Posted in Community History, Obituaries.
This generational pilot boat captain has crossed the bar Capt. Robert W. Johnson passed away on Saturday, August 12, 2023 at his family home, the historic Quarantine House. Robert was born on November 27, 1938 to Carey and Carrie Johnson on the south end of Boca Grande. Robert graduated from Boca Grande High School in […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Community History.
Fountain created decades ago by Alzamora sister needs a home right away Sometimes you don’t realize how much has changed in a place until you find out that the things that were once so important no longer are. Such is the case with a most outstanding work of art, created decades ago by a well-known […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community.
The Englewood Area Board of Realtors’ recent sales report for Boca Grande and the Cape Haze Peninsula, issued Monday, Aug. 14, shows that a 1,464 square-foot home on Waterways Avenue took the top price of the week at just over $4.2 million. The house was on the market for 67 days and was paid for in cash on August 8, through Gulf-to-Bay Sotheby’s International, Agent Maryjo Pigott.
Other sales include the following:
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Community, News.
The two approach roads to Boca Grande, namely Gasparilla Road and Placida Road, are both part of one of 27 Florida Scenic Byways. Officially called the Lemon Bay/Myakka Traill Scenic Byway, the honorific status promotes and celebrates “cultural, historic, archaeological, recreational, natural and scenic aspects” of the entrance to Boca Grande. A key part of […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Obituaries.
The sun was a little less bright the day when Nelson Thomas was taken from us just recently. He was an island son who was known to all and loved by many, and he spent the last years of his life taking care of his aunt on Damficare Street, Jo Anne Speers. Nelson was ill […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Education, Profiles.
The Island School has not only found an art teacher with pizazz, they found one with a sense of humor and a sense of purpose. The new art teacher is Terry Hoffman, and she loves bringing out the artistic creativity she believes is present in everyone, especially children.
Monday, Aug. 14 was her first day with her new students. “It was a great first day!” she reported.
The bright orange sundress she wore was a great ice- breaker, as children noticed the drawings of pineapples on the dress. “I love pineapples,” one student told her. “I break out when I eat pineapple,” another offered. Everyone had something to say about the dress or the jewelry or the artwork … and Terry knew that is how it would work.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Community History, Editorial, Obituaries.
There’s so much that has changed in our community in the last year or two. It’s difficult sometimes to wrap our minds around what has happened just since last September, much less the other changes that have taken place. Some of them were fast and furious, like Hurricane Ian, but others have been a slow, […]
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Columns, Community History.
TEN YEARS AGO A mystery survey was sent to random island residents, regarding Gilchrist Avenue parking? Who sent it? And why? FIFTEEN YEARS AGO A group that included Robert Johnson, sisters Carolyn Ryals and Janette Washington, Chevalia Scurry, Bumps and Janell Johnson and others discussed with the Boca Grande Historical Society what it meant to […]
Written by Delores Savas on . Posted in Columns, Opinion.
August weather can often make some people uncomfortable, and that has made the month known as “the dog days of summer.” The Farmer’s Almanac says that the name is linked to the rising of Sirius, the Dog Star. Ancient Egyptians, Romans and Greeks believed that the rising of Sirius in mid-to late summer caused the temperatures to rise and conditions to become less comfortable. Though temperatures remain hot and conditions humid in many parts of the northern hemisphere throughout the month of August, the dog days officially end on August 11.
While the dog days of summer may officially be over, no one has told the powers that be to shut the heat off, as so far, August is headed toward becoming the second-warmest month, with temperatures in the high 90s in Florida, while July 2023, at 99 degrees, is listed as the highest on record on Florida’s temperature chart.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
Thursday morning got a little crazy over on Railroad Avenue, as demolition crews showed up to start on the old Bakery Building at the same time T. Steele Construction was there to work on the new cell phone tower site. Neither crew knew the other would be there, and apparently Aaron Diaz, owner of The Barnichol, didn’t know demo crews would be beginning today, either, and was concerned for the safety of his store patrons. The problem was exacerbated by the fact that the person charged with dealing with the bakery demolition was out of the country.