Coastal Breeze News

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Many events are held on Marco Island each year but none are more awaited then the annual Miss Dottie’s Duck Derby. This year marks the 15th annual swimming of the ducks at the Greater Marco Family Aquatic Center and is slated for Saturday, March 27, 2010. This year’s event will be even bigger and better promises Miss Dottie as the 15th anniversary of the event is being celebrated. The day will kick off at 6:45 a.m. as the senior swimmers take to the warm waters of the pool for a 1 hour swim a thon. At 7:45 a.m. the youth ... Read More »

Marco Presbyterian Church will have a Maundy Thursday communion service, 7 p.m., April 1. The service will celebrate the mandate of the Lord to serve one another followed by communion. There will be one morning worship service at 10:30 a.m. on Easter Sunday with praise music, bell and adult choirs. The message is entitled “And Do Not Forget to Tell Them Why.” The Wednesday evening prayer and bible study on March 31, the Christian education classes and the 9 a.m. worship service on Easter Sunday will also not meet. Beginning April 11, there will be Sunday school classes for all ... Read More »

The Board of Directors of the Art League, Marco Island’s Center for the Arts, is pleased to announce that Kenneth Stroud has been appointed to the Board. Stroud, an Art League member for the past two years and Marco Island resident since 2003 relocated from Miami.  Stroud is a 31 year veteran of US Customs, now Homeland Security.  He retired as Supervisory Special Agent, Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Custom Enforcement. Stroud has served on the Gallery Committee and in recent months served on the “Vision” committee of the Art League, working to develop a new business model for ... Read More »

The Marco Island Foundation for the Arts (MIFA) is offering three $1000 scholarships in 2010 to graduating Marco Island high school seniors who have demonstrated excellence in and intend to pursue studies in the visual, literary or performing arts at the college level. Applications are available from high school guidance counselors, MIFA’s website: www.marcoarts,org. Completed applications must be sent to Marco Island Foundation for the Arts, PO Box 1091, Marco Island FL 34146, received by April 30th, 2010, for consideration. Interviews will be conducted May 3-5, and awards will be given at MIFA’s annual luncheon on May 18, 2010. Read More »

The San Marco Council of Catholic Women is offering up to three non-renewable awards to any registered high school senior who is a parishioner of San Marco Catholic Church, St Finnbar’s in Naples or Holy Family in Everglades City. Applicants are required to continue his/her education at a 2 or 4 year college or university. Selection wil be based on parish involvement, educational excellence, personal statement and letters of recommendation.  Completed applications MUST be received by April 9th. Applications available in the church office or by calling Barbara Markel at 389-8997. Read More »

Healthy advice from experts on March 30, 7 p.m. at Mackle Park. The City of Marco Island Parks and Recreation Department, the Marco Island Civic Association, the Marco Island YMCA and Iberia Bank have partnered with Physicians Regional Healthcare System to bring the fourth installment of the Healthy Life Lecture Series. Free to the public. Read More »

Experience Paris in Marco Island as the Marco Island Foundation for the Arts (MIFA) presents the Left Bank Art Fest at the Esplanade. Free to the public, this one day event will take place on Saturday, April 17th, 2010 from 10am to 4pm along the waterfront and elsewhere at the Esplanade, 800 N Collier Boulevard, Marco Island. Three categories of artists will be presented: Youth (children and students through high school senior), Amateur and Professional. Original paintings, drawings, photography, mixed media, sculpture, fiber arts and printmaking are eligible. No crafts. Artists interested in being part of this event should fill ... Read More »

Marco Island Parks and Recreation will be hosting its annual Spring Jubilee event on Saturday, April 3rd from 10 a.m. to noon. This year’s event will include over 18,000 Easter eggs for ages 11 and under with 12 special golden eggs to be found. Age groups include: 4 years and under, 5 – 7 years, 8 – 9 years, and 10 – 11 years old. Easter Egg Hunt will start promptly at 11:30 a.m. Additional activities this year include: music and games by Mobile Sound Entertainment, Marco Magic Cheerleader demonstration at 10:30 a.m., Caricatures by John Salustro, Sand Art, Legos, ... Read More »

The OCMI has an opportunity for you! The OCMI Junior Journalist Club will be starting soon. Coastal Breeze News will assist with heading up the club and share years of newspaper experience with young would-be journalists. Anyone with a passion for writing or photography will not want to miss this new club. Stay tuned for information coming Anyone with a passion for writing or photography will not want to miss this new club. If interested, contact Al Wagner at [email protected] Read More »

“Standing Room Only” (SRO) are three words dear to the heart of a Broadway producer. Why? SRO, in the parlance of Broadway’s theater crowd, signifies a hit of major proportions. A complete sellout! And while St. Mark’s Episcopal parish hall on Marco Island isn’t Broadway, that is exactly the kind of thing that happened recently when The Marco Players (TMP) presented The Troubadours in concert to raise funds for the Chuck Daye Apprentice Program: a SRO house. So many were the raves and cheers for a repeat, that TMP board promptly declared the event to be an annual one. Announcing ... Read More »

The Marco Island Police Department was contacted regarding highly suspicious boat activity within City canals and waterways this past weekend. Vessels were observed by an alert citizens between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m.; however, the citizen did not alert the Department while the vessels were still in the area. The vessels were described as white or light colored center console type watercraft often called “Go-Fasts.” The operators of the suspicious vessels turned off their navigational lights and motors to avoid attention. The vessels were not engaged in fishing and being operated in a suspicious manner given their actions, time and ... Read More »

The Greater Marco Family YMCA Tennis Dept. will take a great leap backward on Saturday, March 27 by inviting participating tennis players to go retro and dress in tennis attire from days gone by. Those who will be playing and attending the social will use the classic wooden frame tennis racquets and are encouraged to dress like their favorite players from the past like; Rod Laver, Margaret Court and Roy Emerson. The event will feature a round robin format ending with awards for best dressed male and female player and a potluck dinner. Bring your favorite dish to share! If ... Read More »

The Rotary Club of Marco Island is proud to announce it will host its Second Annual Spirit of Marco Island Gala Awards Dinner and Silent Auction on Saturday May 1st at San Marco Catholic Church Parish Hall. This gala event formally recognizes individuals and businesses that are civically involved through their contribution of time, talent and financial support to the community. Last year six individuals and business were recognized with the “Spirit of Marco Island Award”, they were: Bill & Karen Young, Howard Jordan, Mike Minozzi, Bill & Betsy Perdichizzi, Reverend Kyle Bennett & Marco Community Bank. Each recipient was presented with ... Read More »

There are many ways to see and experience the wonder and beauty of the south Florida everglades and coastal islands and I have been fortunate in the variety and richness of the opportunities that have come my way. As a nature photographer I have ridden and trekked the glades, gingerly stepping into the unknown, sporting my genuine Kevlar lined Chippewah snake boots and clutching my monopod turned walking stick. I have explored the rookeries and bays of the ten thousand islands in watercraft big and small – powered by wind, fuel and paddles. I’ve lugged 20 lbs of equipment along ... Read More »

Conservation works and it is working in our back yards. One of the most beloved and symbolic birds in America was saved due to past and current conservation efforts. Conservation efforts that banned the use of certain chemicals, used habitat protection and regulation over development allowed the American Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) to regain its glory and repopulate its native lands. Biologists, who monitor and manage the American Bald Eagle population for the past thirty to forty years, have said that this species has made an astounding comeback all over the nation, but particularly in Florida. Florida, to date, has ... Read More »

According to local lore the famous pirate Jose Gaspar was born in Spain in 1756 and joined the Spanish navy as a boy until age 27 when he mutinied and commandeered a ship to the Gulf of Mexico. Gaspar’s decision in 1782 to rebel, and leave his wife and children forever, was because his theft of the Spanish Crown jewels had been detected. A price was declared on his head and he swore a vengeance on all Spaniards. Leading a group of escaped convicts, Gaspar with his stolen ship established a home base in 1783 in the area of Charlotte ... Read More »

One of my all-time favorite comedians is Dom Irrera, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who does this great bit about his friends, who always love to give medical advice, when a buddy is sick called, “not a doctor.” “Oh, you got that flu? Yeah. Drink plenty of fluids and get a lot of rest,” his good bud suggested. “Boy am I glad that I ran into you. First of all, you’re not a doctor, are you? Because I don’t know where you got that kind of information. I was just about out of my house when I was about to do wind-sprints and ... Read More »

When my husband and I first started traveling to Europe, we knew a tour group was not for us. Good little lemmings we are not. So, we did the “grand tour” on our own, spending a few nights in each of the locations we wanted to visit. Soon, though, we discovered the joy of settling in to one “hometown” and using it as a base to savor the sights, tastes, sounds, and culture of an area. And, we discovered a company, Untours, that makes this all the more pleasurable. Untours, based in Media ,PA has been providing a unique travel ... Read More »

The Boy Scouts of Troop 234 on Marco Island traveled to Sarasota’s Mote Marine Laboratory to obtain their required Eagle Scout merit badge for Environmental Science on March 14, 2010. We camped in Arcadia on Friday night after driving through a torrential rain storm. The boys toughed it out and set up camp in the darkness. The scouts rose early on Saturday, prepared a gourmet camp breakfast of pancakes and sausage, then headed northwest to Sarasota’s Mote Marine Laboratory. Their instructor, Kat was a wealth of knowledge with a diverse background in oceanography and wildlife management.  She took control of about 50 rambunctious scouts from various ... Read More »