Coastal Breeze News

Recently, Wanda Day, President of the Sunrise Rotary Club and Event Chair Wayne Purvis gave local residents an opportunity to participate in the ‘Kids Against Hunger’ project. Steve Popper, a Naples Rotary Club member brought the program which bags food for those in need to Southwest Florida in August 2007.   Since then, over 6,000,000 meals have been packaged locally. Although Kids Against Hunger bagging events are held periodically in Naples, it was the first event for Marco Island.  Supported by the Sunrise Rotary Club, Marco Island Chamber of Commerce, and the Kiwanis Club, over 200 people representing organizations such as ... Read More »

Recently a group of residents met at Mackle Park to discuss applying for available grant monies through the State of Florida to plant trees at Veteran’s Community Park. Carla Mickes explained the various processes and requirements for grant applications as gathered from  Parks and Recreation Director,  Bryan Milk and Leslie Sanford from the City of Marco Island’s Public Utilities Department.       The goal of the committee is to plant trees in small clusters in different areas of Veteran’s Community Park to enhance the park’s visual appeal and increase the usability of the park by offering shade during the summer months.     Committee ... Read More »

One of the reasons I was always a fan of the Olde Farmers’ Almanac, was for its Handy Hints.  I can’t claim to have discovered the following, but they work for me. Has the grout between your tiles turned a weird shade — does it resist cleaning? This takes a bit of time, but people to whom I have recommended this hint have found it worthwhile and relatively easy to do. Purchase flat, acrylic paint in the color you wish, and simply apply to the grout. There is no need to be extra fussy – just make sure the grout ... Read More »

The year was 1860. Abraham Lincoln was elected President of a young United States of America; South Carolina seceded from the Union; a possible Civil War was looming in the future. In Europe, once a mighty Empire, the Ottomans were in a slow but certain decline.  In Istanbul, the capital city of the Ottoman Empire, a young American missionary, Cyrus Hamlin was busy trying to establish an American School, having arrived there in 1839. A graduate of the Bangor Theological Seminary in 1837 by way of Bowdoin College, Mr. Hamlin was born in Waterford, Maine to the prominent Hamlin family ... Read More »

This book is a must for anyone confused by talk of health care plans. Well, I guess that just about covers everyone. T.R. Reid’s “global quest for better, cheaper, and fairer health care” is an easy-to-read explanation of the choices that exist and some of the tunnel-visioned, mind-blocked people who will be making them. Reid begins with the sad tale of 32-year old Nikki White who died prematurely of lupus. Once diagnosed, she could not get heath insurance.  She had too much money to qualify for medical welfare assistance, yet could not afford to pay for doctors’ services and medications herself. ... Read More »

Four Contestants, Three Seats Unofficial Results   6,107 Ballots Cast Joe Batte 3,535    24.8% Ted Forcht (Incumbent) 3,472     24.3% Chuck Kiester (Incumbent)    3,480    24.4% Larry N. Magel 3,745    26.3% From the Supervisor of Elections, Jennifer Edwards: Since the difference between the third place finisher, Chuck Kiester, and the fourth place finisher, Ted Forcht, was less than .25%, such a review is mandatory under Florida law. Under the authority of the Collier County Canvassing Board, the machine recount was conducted at the Supervisor of Elections Office immediately following release of the unofficial results on January 26, 2010. The manual recount, which is an ... Read More »

Loft and getting the ball to fly high is a result of swinging the club head down and contacting the ball on the downswing. A downward blow creates backspin which, in turn, produces lift.  The golf club goes in an upward motion on the backswing, reaches the top of the swing and starts downward until it reaches the bottom of the arc where it begins to travel upward. When a person fails to meet the ball on the downswing or at the bottom of the swing, the club head starts upward and contacts the middle or top of the ball ... Read More »

Marco Bay Yacht Club Commodore’s Ball and Change of Watch Marco Bay Yacht Club Commodore’s Ball and Change of Watch was held January 23 at Hideaway Beach Club.   The objective of the Marco Bay Yacht Club is to encourage safe boating, the sport of yachting, and to promote the skills of seamanship and navigation. Presentation of the Fleet will be held January 30 at the Esplanade at 10 a.m. (Photos by Jeanne Brennan) After Five “Chamber After 5″ at Casa Mia Third Annual Left Bank Art Festival (Photos by Jeanne Brennan) Read More »

With opening night of Sundance 2010 just two days away, it is a balmy 29 degrees in Park City, Utah and snowing furiously.  So far, 12 inches and counting, with five storms stacked up in the Pacific, ready to make their way here.  In the  distance is the boom of avalanche crews dynamiting the accumulated snow to prevent disaster. Historic Main Street in this former mining town is festooned with film festival banners and traffic is at a standstill blocked by rental trucks setting up lounges, party sites, and commercial venues.  Most of the locals are tolerant of this pre-festival mayhem ... Read More »

These last two weeks have been incredible. Never in my wildest dreams did I picture six months ago (or ever, for that matter) that I would be spending my days (and nights, and mornings, and evenings….) writing for and editing a newspaper. I confessed to a few close friends that I have never been a Managing Editor before, and I was several weeks into the job before I realized I didn’t have a job description and had no idea of what I was really supposed to do. “Just do it!”  became my motto, and along with a team of fantastic ... Read More »

Entering by way of the back door might not be the best way to enter a home of distinction.  However, walking up the back steps and opening the old single-hung door of the Everglades City Rod and Gun Club is an experience of which I never tire. In so many cases history becomes obliterated by progress,  something that is forgotten once that back door of the Rod and Gun Club closes. Take a moment to feel the strength of the polished old wood paneling blanketing the walls and high ceiling; feel the power of the wild Everglades animals mounted on ... Read More »

United Church of Marco Island ‘Celebrating God’s Presence, Serving all People’ Reverend Dr. Richard Adair 320 N. Barfield Dr. 239-394-6572 [email protected] Sunday Worship 10 a.m. Church School Adults 9 a.m. Pre-K to Middle School 10 a.m. Nursery provided Wesley United Methodist Church ‘Demonstrating Our Love For God’ Pastor Bill Beebe 350 S. Barfield Dr. 239-394-3734 www.wesleymarco.com Contemporary Sunday Worship 9 a.m. Traditional Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m. Sunday School Adult 9 a.m. Sunday School Children during both services Jewish Congregation of Marco Island Rabbi Edward Maline D D 991 Winterberry Dr. 239-642-0800 www.marcojcmi.tripod.com Friday Shabbat service 8 p.m. First Family Baptist ... Read More »

 We spend a reasonable amount of time sitting in cars, and the problem with most car seats is the faulty design. The seat was designed around the average posture, which isn’t so red hot! Seats in small cars seem to be the worst culprits. They incline back and encourage your body to collapse, rounding your hips and chest, compressing organs, and restricting your breathing and forcing your head forward. Let’s take a look at the first photo: • My hips are lower than my knees. This jams the leg bone back in the pelvis. • My spine is behind my ... Read More »

Celebrating the mullet might be a questionable activity to some, especially when it is uncertain what mullet is. In this case we are not talking about the haircut. No, we are talking about the fish most fishermen use as bait. The 26th Annual mullet festival officially begins Friday, January 29 at 6 p.m. at Stan’s Idle Hour Restaurant in downtown Goodland. The kick-off party Friday at Stan’s Chickee Bar is a favorite of many locals. It is a time to wish Stan, family, and staff well and is filled with great anticipation for an amazing, fun-filled weekend. Jeff Hilt will ... Read More »

Recently I received a phone call from a  Ft. Lauderdale grandfather, inquiring about a special charter for his grandchildren, to experience a little fishing and viewing of wildlife in the Everglades National Park. What made this special were their ages: his grandson was only 5 and his granddaughter was 6. They had never been fishing before, and he had no idea what their tolerance threshold would be in a boat. He explained that if I was up for the challenge of keeping the children from getting bored, possibly for an hour or two, that he would gladly pay for a half-day ... Read More »

Congratulations to Dr. Fay Biles on winning a Jefferson Award for her outstanding volunteerism! We are so pleased that one of our own Marco Island residents was so honored. If you remember, last year we  had another winner: Shirlee Barcic. It looks as if Marco Island is getting some great recognition. Many people have been asking about the median landscaping on 951/Collier Blvd., north of the Jolley Bridge to Hammock Bay. The section that has recently been completed looks so lovely, and once it has had some growing time will look outstanding. The reason for the holdup on the next ... Read More »

Are Real Estate Commissions too High? For as long as I’ve been in the real estate business, agents have forever been faced with defending their fees. Comments like, “That’s unbelievable”, “I’ll never pay that much”, “You guys charge ‘way too much”,  have become the most frequently discussed issues between sellers and agents. After 40 years of defending my fees, I now get a chance to air my frustrations publicly and let the world (hopefully this paper gets worldwide distribution) know where all the money goes. First, let me say that federal law requires that there can be no effort to ... Read More »

A World Full of Stories in Goodland Goodland is many things to many people. And there are some Marco Islanders, as well as many tourists who, unfortunately, never experience this ‘less than one square mile’ historic fishing village located on the eastern side of Marco Island. In the not-so-distant past, Goodland was a working fishing village. In 1949, cottages of the fishermen and their families were moved from the estate area of Caxambas on Marco to Goodland, paving the way for developers and their dreams.  Many of those cottages exist today. Several were built from wood washed ashore from shipwrecks ... Read More »

Is it ‘a hit’ or ‘a miss’? Now is the time to find out just what you are harboring under your roof. Sort out your family possessions – that ugly painting Uncle Charlie left you – that peculiar piece of china you got as a wedding present – the gaudy piece of jewelry someone brought you from Europe – who knows what it’s really worth? Perhaps you have inadvertently been storing an antique treasure without realizing it. Here’s how you can find out: on February 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the New Museum Complex on Heathwood Drive, ... Read More »

What makes certain colors trendy?  Is there an omnipotent ‘Color Coordinator’ that makes the grand decision for all of the upcoming colors used in the fashions for the next season, next year’s car finishes or the upcoming bold fabric and accessories in the design industry?  The simple answer is ‘no’, but there is an entire industry, with annual forecasting sessions, that revolve around deciding what the up and coming color trends are for every design-related industry.  Taking cues from trade shows, social media, influential designers, established artists, urban street culture, and style trends, the color industry forecasts what color and ... Read More »