2014-03-01
Building a Connection with LEGO Bricks
Naples – In Nature, all things connect to create beauty and life. And nothing demonstrates the power of that connection like a colorful, eight-foot hummingbird in flight, a seven-foot rose, or a fivefoot butterfly made from everyones favorite toy— LEGO® bricks. From February 14 through May 11, the Naples Botanical Garden will present, Nature Connects, Art with LEGO® Bricks. This […]
Business Expo Set for March 13 at the Promenade
Bonita Springs — What do steel drums, free engraving, health screenings, and searching for treasure have in common? It’s all happening at the 2014 Community Business Expo March 13 at The Promenade. For the past few years, the Bonita Springs Chamber of Commerce Community Business Expo was held in the summer at Vi at Bentley Village in North Naples. Vendor […]
Estero Bay Agency to Continue Its Work
Members of the Estero Bay Agency on Bay Management say the agency’s work is not done. It took some persuading, but on February 20 the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council agreed. Lee County Commissioner Frank Mann had brought up the future of the agency – and whether it should have one – at a prior Planning Council meeting. Mann said […]
RESTAURANT GUIDE
A Table Apart Chef Jeff Acol’s profound love for the ocean is rooted in his early childhood years growing up in Hawaii and helps explain his commitment to serving sustainable seafood and seasonal ingredients. This talented chef offers a limited but diverse menu. Dishes offer global fair with Asian and French influence. 4295 Bonita Beach Road, Bonita Springs. 239-221-8540. www.atableapart.com […]
OUT & ABOUT
For those who doubt, there really are four seasons in Southwest Florida. They’re just not as obvious as up north. Down here we have spring, summer, fall and the fourth season is whither, not winter. My backyard, which is on a tiny preserve, is leafless and sorry looking for a couple of months over whither.There are actually maple trees and […]
Tee Box Tips
Quick Tip: Stop the TopBad swings happen to the best of us, regardless of one’s skill level. Even the dreaded topped shot. There are three types of topped shots. All you have to do is figure which type creeps into your game. The first is related to coming out of your posture during the swing. Typically players will lose the forward bend in their […]
Florida on Ice
Estero – Northern climates don’t have a monopoly on winter sports. On weekends and evenings, Lee and Collier County families come together to enjoy Family Skate Time at Estero’s Germain Arena skating rink. And on Saturday mornings, parents bundle up their kids, grab a coffee and watch their toddlersthrough teens learn to do those double-axles, figure eights and spins everyone […]
Our Best Friends
Ember Carries on the Dalmatian TraditionIn the lifesaving tradition of fire departments, Ember, a 5-year old Dalmatian, recently saved two lives – at the local veterinary clinic. It’s all in a day’s work for this mascot at the Estero Fire Department. She is on call to give blood when needed. Dalmatians gained fame initially as fire department mascots, but today’s youth often remember them from […]
You Need Not Be Royalty to Play Croquet Today
Naples – Tucked behind the Etudes de Ballet at 3285 Pine Ridge Road and west of Livingston Road, the manicured green lawn of the Naples Croquet Club awaits. The well-groomed putting green measures 105 feet by 84 feet. The wickets are rolled steel and are just 1/32 of an inch wider than the balls. No super-wide wire wickets or rocky […]
Duo Romantico is an International Love Story
Estero — Eyes met and smiles were exchanged on a busy street corner in Buenos Aires, Argentina. An international romance that became “Duo Romantico,” began when Christy Caldwell asked Atilio Marinelli the way to a well-known Buenos Aires monument. “I was in Argentina teaching English as a Second Language at various businesses and about ready to return to the U.S.,” […]
CALENDAR
B: Bonita Springs E: Estero FM: Fort Myers N: Naples March 1 Saturday Annual Crew Concert & Silent Eco-Auction – 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Join Crew Land & Water Trust to celebrate its 25th anniversary. Deb and the Dynamics and The Sarah Hadeka Band performing.Where: Riverside Park on Old US 41. B. Cost: $15 online or $20 at gate […]
Inside Clawson’s Three Point Shot
Bonita Springs — Recent meet and greets for Congressional District 19 hopeful Curt Clawson at Worthington Country Club and Bonita Bay’s Estero Park were filled with talk of Obamacare, defi- cits, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, immigration and the NSA. But amid the array of usual topics, attendees had a particular interest in something singular about the Clawson campaign – his […]
Making a Difference At Serenity Salon and Spa
Bonita Springs – How does a new business owner expand her business from one salon and spa to three in less than two years? Denise Wilson, owner of Serenity Salon and Spa in Bonita Springs says it takes a passion for, “Helping people feel good about themselves; about how they look at themselves.” It’s a skill she developed over more […]
Voters Say ‘No’ to Bonita Annexation
The voters in 486 acres of northern Pelican Landing, the Colony and the Tides told Bonita Springs officials ‘Thanks, but no thanks’ on February 25, as just over 55 percent of them rejected annexation into the city. The final count was 286 against annexation and 232 for it. Of the 887 ballots Supervisor of Elections Sharon Harrington sent out, 520 […]
RotaKids of Three Oaks Elementary Package Meals for Needy
Estero – On a recent Tuesday morning, 41 eager students from Three Oaks Elementary School were bussed to Bonita Springs- Estero Elks Lodge to participate in the Rotary Club of Estero’s project “Rotary Has Heart”. All the students were RotaKids, the Rotary Club’s service program for the younger set. “Rotary Has Heart” is the latest of several projects the Rotary […]
Tutors Transform Lives Through Language
With only three fulltime and 12 part-time employees, the Literacy Council Gulf Coast relies on dedicated volunteers to provide its services in Bonita Springs, Cape Coral, Fort Myers and Lehigh Acres. In Bonita Springs, Linda Stather and Brother Joe Payne are two of the tutors whose work is making a difference for area families. Stather spent 32 years teaching high […]
Business Beat
Gatsby’s Welcomes Buckeye Fans and Pizza LoversBonita Springs — At Gatsby’s Pizza 110 pieces of pepperoni, imported from Ohio and arranged in a rose design on the pizza is a trademark for owners Jackie and Greg Chapin, a tradition started by Greg in Gahanna, Ohio in 1976 where he claimed the best thin crust pizza in the area. When he opened the original Gatsby’s, The Great […]
Impact Fee Debate Marks Debut of Lee Public Voice
A year ago Lee County Commissioners voted an 80 percent reduction in road impact fees –amounts paid by new development to fund infrastructure – for a period of two years. At its late February meeting, commissioners took a look-see at the reductions, and decided to hold firm, at least for the remaining year. The meeting also marked the public debut […]
County Eyes Dredging, as Local Passes Fill
There are milliondollar homes and 80-foot boats on the Estero Bay side of Fort Myers Beach. While the boats tend to be smaller in Bonita Springs they ply the same waters, and some of those waters are getting shallow. Nowadays the big boats are making a slow trip five miles up the bay to run through Matanzas Pass, at the […]
Council Splits on Consultant in DR/GR Redux
Bonita Springs – Early last month, Bonita Springs Water Strategy Task Force recommended that City Council approve the hiring of restoration ecologist Kevin Erwin to help them put the City’s Density Reduction/ Groundwater Resource area (DR/GR) under a microscope. Their job is to study water issues in the DR/GR. The vote was a 4-3 split after much debate. In its […]
