Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Boca Beacon Back Pages, Columns, Community History.
Boca Beacon backpages FIVE YEARS AGO The Matriarch of Boca Grande took her last ride over the Causeway on June 20, 2018. Isabelle Joiner took her first steps on the dock at Whidden’s, as well as her last. TEN YEARS AGO The “Jill Marie” was howlin’ as Capt. Dave Chatham and his team took first […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
The anglers who fished the “Ladies Night Out: Howl at the Moon” tournament on Saturday, June 10 barely had any time to howl, as 53 tarpon kept almost all 23 boats busy for three hours.
The first fish was released by Capt. Wayne Joiner’s team aboard “Hey, Moma!” and the last fish was released by Capt. Jessie Craddock’s team on “Outcast” at 10:03 p.m.
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
Are you ready for the last tarpon tournament of the season? The Red Gill Invitational is happening on Saturday, June 17, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. The entry fee is $750, $100 of which will be donated to the Gasparilla Island Maritime Museum.
They won’t have a band or DJ this year, but they will have a barbecue dinner for the participants immediately following the tournament at Whidden’s Marina. Awards will be held at that time as well.
Call William Woodroffe at (813) 310-1609 for more information.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Profiles.
I’ve been coming to Boca since I was a kid. I remember coming to the beach and coming to go fishing. I started working in Boca Grande in 1990, when I started as a maintenance worker for The Gasparilla Inn & Club. Not long after, I accepted a position as assistant mechanic. I worked at The Gasparilla Inn for 16 years.
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: As we go about our daily lives, watching our country self-destruct and slouching toward oblivion, there have been concerning developments far away that receive little attention. I listen to what people who have lived in China and our military personnel are saying about the brewing conflict with China. It is not only […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
There’s a lot of work to be done at the south end of the island, specifically at the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse, the Amory Chapel and even on Cayo Costa. As many of our readers are probably well aware, trying to set things right after a storm of the magnitude of Hurricane Ian is a game of “Hurry-Up-and-Wait,” which can be tedious and frustrating. It is no different for our historic landmarks at the south end that we love so well.
According to Sharon McKenzie, the executive director of the Barrier Island Parks Society (BIPS), the laundry list of repairs that need to be done is long. Knowing it is important to keep residents of the island abreast of what’s going on, she gave us a peek into what they are going through right now. They cannot lobby, only inform when it comes to these matters.
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
Tim Bonisolli has been named the new supervisor of the Boca Grande Community Center. Tim started his career with Lee County as a senior equipment operator on Boca Grande in 2006 and most recently was a Lee County park ranger on the island. Tim has been working in Boca Grande since 1990, when he started as a maintenance crew member for The Gasparilla Inn. Stop by to welcome him.
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Profiles.
If you happen to be in Boca Grande in the daytime on a Monday or Wednesday, you may be intrigued by the playful or plaintive sound of a lone flute wafting on the air currents. It is not your imagination. It is Paul Rozmus, entertaining guests at the Key Lime Bistro at the south end of the Railroad Depot building.
Paul and his wife Renata are both classically trained musicians who play at the Bistro several days and nights for the enjoyment of Bistro patrons and anyone else in the vicinity. Although their training is classical, their repertoire for the Bistro is fun and eclectic. It includes smooth jazz, rock, soca, contemporary and up-tempo jazz, R and B – and a rendition of “Happy Birthday,” if the occasion fits.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Boca Beacon Back Pages, Columns.
Boca Beacon backpages FIVE YEARS AGO “Faithful II” took first place in the Gasparilla Island Kids Classic, and Kris Boyden was just about done with deadly objects falling from the sky around her shop downtown. Workers on the tower were leaving things up there, which would inevitably fall. TEN YEARS AGO The Tarpon Queen […]
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.
To the Editor: Hurricane season has finally arrived, and as you share advice with your readers to best prepare them, there is one simple step they can take to help keep them safe and avoid making a difficult situation worse – contacting 811. Repairing damage after a storm seems like a harmless action, but […]