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ECOWATCH: The puppet masters are pulling strings again 

I had every intention of listing some good and bad events in the ecosystem that needed to be shared. However, I shall digress for just a short time. Long-time readers of this column are familiar with the many quotes I have used through the years. I usually pick a writer who has something to say and will nudge people to think.
One such person I have used often was Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States. He was responsible for setting aside land for our national parks that people still enjoy and use today. He was the ultimate conservationist, and he said, “The conservation of natural resources is the fundamental problem. Unless we solve that problem, it will avail us little to solve others.” His most famous quote gave us a little peek into his character: “Speak softly and carry a big stick — and you will go far.” He went on to say, “I’m a part of everything I have read. I am an American, free born and free bred, where I acknowledge no man as my superior except for his own worth, or as my inferior, except for his own demerit.”

First History Bytes of season: Pranks and programs

Janet Gillespie who lived in Boca Grande between 1978 and 2004 told stories of the jobs she held, the friends she made, the programs she helped start and the pranks she pulled to the interest and delight of the audience at the Historical Society’s first History Byte since 2020. A number of themes ran through Janet’s presentation, her love of horses and of the water and fishing, her creative friends with whom she started several Island organizations and events and her history of pulling pranks.

Friends of renowned island artist Patti Middleton donate her last painting to TIS

Friends from decades past, I came to regard Patti Middleton as the true artistic nature muse of our coast. Her passing in May of last year seemed emblematic of the titanic scale of change throughout our island world and beyond.
I really felt this first when legendary seaplane pilot Mark Futch went on ahead in 2018. So memorable from earlier flying days was a sunset flight with Mark from the Boca Grande bayou out over Boca Grande Pass, which I preserved in a poem “Charlotte Harbor Sea Peace” in my collection called “Verdana Poems.”

‘Proof’ by RPP is back on, to be held under the Sunshade

Here’s the scoop! The Royal Palm Players are presenting a rescheduled table reading of “Proof” in a theater-in-the-round setting created on the Friend’s Pavilion next Tuesday through Thursday, Feb. 15 – Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. All tickets are for general seating and can be purchased by phone from the Royal Palm Players Box Office by calling 964-2670 or on the website at royalpalmplayers.com. The ticket cost is $15.

Cutting a Christmas tree on-island and other memories

The February 9 History Bytes program features the Davis family – Frank Davis, Robin Davis Melvin, Doug and Gail Coleman Davis – who spent their summers and holidays in Boca Grande during the 1960s, 70s and 80s. Their memories include arriving on the train from Arcadia, cutting the family’s Christmas tree at the north end of the Island and days of freedom, fishing, swimming and fun.

PROFILE: Dr. Bret Kueber

Dr. Bret Kueber always knew that he wanted to semi-retire in Florida; he just didn’t think it would happen this soon. It seems as though while he was waiting for his daughter Katie to finish high school, Boca Grande was suddenly thrust in his path.
“We found this place and, wow! It’s perfect.” he said. “I didn’t want anything too touristy and I was looking for something more low-key, more old Florida style. I love to boat, my son David loves to fish and Katie likes being out on the boat. I love being on the water. That’s my happy place.”

OBITUARY: William Johnson

William “Bill” Johnson, 82, died peacefully and surrounded by family in his home on January 28, 2022. William Vincent Johnson was born in Owensboro, Kentucky, on January 7, 1940, the fifth son of James and Eleanor nee Kerrick Johnson. Eleanor passed away when “Billy” was four, after giving birth to her sixth child, a girl. […]

Hill Tide fence shrinks … just a little bit

It appears there may be some changes to the fence at Hill Tide Estates that stands on the beach. According to those who are intimately aware of the situation, at least one of the sections of fence have been removed. The signs that advise people not to walk the beach, though, are still there.

‘We’re just overwhelmed’: Gasparilla Mobile Estates residents seek assistance to figure out their next steps after the storm

On Sunday, Jan. 16 at 6:37 a.m. the winds of change blew at 110 mph for many residents of Gasparilla Mobile Estates. The EF-1 tornado that touched down and cut a narrow swath through the park completely destroyed seven mobile homes, and up to 33 more had damage. Many of the homes that were not destroyed still have been tagged as unfit for inhabitance. That means while people can still go in and get belongings and look at damage at their own risk, they cannot live there.
Out of the homes affected, only two were insured.