Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Featured News, Profiles, Sports & Outdoors.
There is a synergy between what Nelson Smith Groome IV does and what the fisherpeople of Boca Grande do. One would have a hard time surviving without the other. They certainly would not be as successful without one another. Nelson catches and sells bait during tarpon season in the waters around Boca Grande. For most […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
The May/June edition of Gasparilla Magazine is out with new feature stories, recipes, shopping and social pages. This edition’s recipe is a prize-winning lemon and raspberry trifle from the Lemon Bay Pioneer Fest, and the cocktail recipe comes to you from the Rabbit Hole at Cape Haze Tavern. The magazine includes a story from the […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in News.
The issue of parking on Gasparilla Island is not a new one. Through the years, the Boca Beacon has covered the issue as locals and county officials have tried to balance competing interests. Below, a few assorted dates from 1982 on. The list below is not comprehensive; many of the recent stories are at bocabeacon.com/parking: […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community, Events, News.
Seven area charities will share $125,000 in proceeds raised by the United Women in Faith (UWF) organization at the annual Strawberry Festival. UWF, formerly known as the United Methodist Women, is affiliated with the Lighthouse United Methodist Church in Boca Grande. “We grateful for the enthusiastic participation of Boca Grande and neighboring communities and help […]
Written by Anna Ridilla on . Posted in Featured News, News, Sports & Outdoors.
The Gasparilla Island Kids Classic tarpon tournament is set for June 8, organized by the Boca Grande Chamber of Commerce. The event is advised by Boca Grande Charities, which originally founded and ran the tournament since 2011. This is the second year that the Chamber has taken over the tournament and the theme is “Kids […]
Written by Boca Beacon on . Posted in Letters to the Editor, Sports & Outdoors.
BY KATHY FUTCH Tarpon fishing became quite the sport in Boca Grande Pass, which is the deepest natural harbor in Florida. When the water temperature is just right and full of tasty shrimp and crabs, the hungry Silver Kings travel up from their time in Key West and settle in. Having both fresh water (Charlotte […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Community, Editorial.
There are many “very important” and “formerly very important” or “previously important” or “pretty important” people on Gasparilla Island. We have acronyms for them. This week, we spied one of the well-known and still-very-important persons offering to help a local retailer move some tables and supplies from her car, into a retail shop. He was […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Profiles.
Jo Hackl, building grit Jo and Bob Hackl love Boca Grande and appreciate the sense of “intellectual curiosity” and “generosity” they feel when on the island. They enjoy the movies at the Community Center, the interesting speakers and the overall depth of community involvement they experience when in Boca Grande. The Hackls are on Harbor […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Profiles.
Ben and Louise Scott are not preachers; they are business people. Ben was a very successful owner of multiple franchises with McDonald’s Restaurants until his retirement in 2001. They know who has been supporting their business success, however, and do not mind telling people. It is God. Ben has even written a small book on […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in Columns, Sports & Outdoors.
BY CAPT. SANDY MELVIN It’s tarpon time! After what seemed like weeks of heavy spring winds, the area is now loaded with silver kings. While we have seen some tarpon scattered around since late February, the Pass is currently holding a big school and they are still being found up the harbor, off the beaches […]