Coastal Breeze News

By Monte Lazarus  [email protected]  There were guns galore and lots of husky guys in black uniforms. Not to worry. The event was Lunch with the Chief sponsored by the Marco Island Police Foundation on February 17th at the Hideaway Beach Club. The Men in Black were Marco’s Finest, the police who insure the safety of residents and visitors. It was also the occasion for the Foundation to honor retiring Detective Glenn Zirgibel as Policeman of the Year. It was his second such award. County Commissioner Donna Fiala and Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott took time from busy schedules to attend ... Read More »

By Jane A. Marlowe  [email protected]  Joe Irvin, Marco Island’s new Zoning Administrator, has been on the job for only four months. He has organized a comprehensive Midtown Plan incorporating ideas and recommendations from previous staff efforts. He has also added his own thoughts and perspective to be considered by the Marco Island Planning Board, Marco Island citizens, property and business owners and all stakeholders in Midtown today and tomorrow. Joe worked for the City of Sequim, Washington, which is northwest of Seattle, where he was raised. His family relocated to Southwest Florida in order for his wife to attend a ... Read More »

By Natalie Strom  [email protected]  Steven R. Banks is attempting to go where no man has gone before. Well, that’s not completely accurate, but he is planning something extraordinary. On Friday, April 23, Steven will attempt to kayak the total outer perimeter of the Marco Island, Cape Romano, Coon Key and Goodland commons area. This kayak trip may certainly have been done before, but not within the 24-hour time frame Steven has planned. People may think Steven is crazy for attempting this, but the only thing he is crazy about is raising awareness for local and global humanitarian concerns. That is ... Read More »

Donna Fiala [email protected]  The 7th Annual Marco Island Kiwanis Car Show was even more successful than the last six! John DeRosa and his team of dedicated, determined, hardworking Kiwanians prepared beautifully, even to ordering perfect weather! I remember when he first suggested the idea, everyone was a little ambivalent, concerned that it would never be a good fund raiser. As most of you know, the Kiwanians (and Rotarians as well) raise money throughout the year to help the children in our community and the extended Collier County community; it’s for those little tykes who cannot help themselves, or who need ... Read More »

By Coastal Breeze News Staff  In a string of bestsellers, Randy Wayne White has created one of the most vivid and enduring leading characters in Doc Ford, a man who fights with both brains and brawn. White’s 19th Doc Ford novel, CHASING MIDNIGHT (G. P. Putnam’s Sons; On Sale: March 6, 2012), tackles the little-known but increasingly important controversy surrounding the fishing of sturgeon and other fish in the region—and how there are many in the world who would kill to get their hands on the incredibly valuable eggs that fuel the billion-dollar caviar trade. The story began peacefully enough, ... Read More »

By Coastal Breeze News Staff The Bright Star Buddies, made up of Mrs. Albero’s second grade class at Tommie Barfield Elementary, put on a play entitled, “The Stolen Crown”. It was an opportunity for them to bring literacy to life through an engaging literary experience. The students, after reading a variety of fairy tales in class, wrote their own fairy tales. The class voted on which story would be used as the basis of their play. The story chosen was written by student, Carter Sickels, who modeled the play after a Russian fairy tale, “The Stolen Turnips.” The enchanting tale ... Read More »

By Jane A. Marlowe  [email protected]  Catherine Kay Starr Kerr was honored by her family and friends on Wednesday, February 8, 2012 with the dedication of a “Chickee” hut at Residents Beach, Marco Island. The dedication was held at noon with her husband, Philip, three of her seven children, Jackie, Janice, Todd and her son-in-law, Eddie Kaddick and many friends in attendance. Bob Newman welcomed the very large gathering to the celebration of Kay’s life. “Kay Kerr was a wonderful, marvelous woman. This is the first time this has happened on the beach. We are dedicating the Chickee to Kay today ... Read More »

By Monte Lazarus  [email protected]  Maybe it’s just the natural consequence of reaching Geezerdom. Perhaps it’s a follow-on of an incredible exposure to dedicated, skilled teachers in the New York public school system (yes, you read that right!). Or, it might be a combination of the above added to an aversion to distortion of language. In any event, I’m tired of “like” a minimum of five times in every sentence, like, this one. Through the years we’ve heard enough clichés and misused words to “sink a battleship” (how’s that for a cliché?). Toss in vague, meaningless generalizations and some made-up non-words ... Read More »

By Natalie Strom [email protected] Marco Island Clothing Company and Bistro Soleil Restaurant are teaming up for their annual fundraising fashion show. The fourth annual show, to be held at 11:00 AM on March 8th, raises money for the Greater Marco Island Unit of the American Cancer Society. Joyce McFarland, owner of Marco Island Clothing Company, and her good friend, Lisa Meurgue, owner of Bistro Soleil, began this venture after Lisa found out that she, herself, had cancer. Lisa and Joyce have been good friends for years. Both private business owners on Marco Island, they had an immediate connection. Lisa has ... Read More »

By Coastal Breeze News Staff  Why would you want to be a member of the Masons? That is a question asked Owen Carr, a long-time Marco Island resident. Owen recently celebrated 65 years of being in the brotherhood of Masons! To bestow the honors, a formal ceremony was held recognizing this membership benchmark at the Cypress Lodge in Naples. His wife, Pat, and two other couples were in attendance as well as many fraternity brothers. After a sit down dinner in the lodge they were invited into the main hall to witness the presentation. Owen has a strong belief in ... Read More »

By Natalie Strom  [email protected]  Show Your Axe is one of those hidden spots on Marco that reminds true musicians of what small-town music shops are all about. Owner, Bob Duffy, has run the store, at its current location of 1165 Bald Eagle Drive for over three years now, but his first interaction with a musical instrument came long before he opened his doors on Marco. Duffy is an extremely interesting individual. He started his first business in his parents’ basement; a homemade candle-making company, when he was fifteen. Only a few years later, he sold the successful company. Since then ... Read More »

By Natalie Strom [email protected] Wind Tide, at Town Center Mall, is anything but your average vacation souvenir shop. The store, located three doors down from the Crazy Flamingo Restaurant, offers an amazing array of quality clothing and accessories for both visitors and locals. Yet, what truly sets them apart is the family-friendly atmosphere that owners, Billy and Shannon Diller, provide with great ease. That’s because Billy and Shannon believe in “treating others how they would like to be treated.” This motto extends beyond the human population as the Dillers even welcome dogs into their store. After all, Wind Tide was ... Read More »

Craig Woodward  [email protected] The one single document with the greatest impact on the growth and density of Marco Island would be, without a doubt, the “Deltona Settlement Agreement.” This document created much of the current developed and undeveloped “eastern” Marco Island, as well as much of Rookery Bay and also created a great deal of the “951 Corridor” south of U.S. 41. The Agreement was not your normal arm’s length negotiated “deal” but was, in fact, the end result of years of complex litigation between the Deltona Corporation, who were the developers of Marco Island and of Marco Shores, and ... Read More »

Vickie Kelber  [email protected] The upcoming broadcast of the 84th annual Academy Awards has me thinking about films. I enjoy films almost as much as I enjoy travel and particularly like watching films that are set in locales I have visited and those that evoke a strong sense of place. It brings back fond memories, sates a bit of my wanderlust, and inspires future travel. The best film my husband and I have seen recently both in quality and ability to evoke a locale is Woody Allen’s love poem to the City of Lights, Midnight in Paris. Although we typically don’t ... Read More »

By Jim Curran The 22nd meeting of the Love of the Y tennis tournament went off as scheduled despite the threat of bad weather. It didn’t stop the planners and participants in this year’s Love of the Y, however. This 3 day event, Marco Island’s oldest tennis tournament, kicked off with a Friday evening reception. All who entered the tournament were invited to attend. Paul Barrus, the new tennis director and the committee provided food, beverages and an entertaining social evening. The highlight was a professional singles match exhibition, under the lights, between Chris Barrus, Paul’s son, a junior at ... Read More »

By Coastal Breeze News Staff  Marc Guttman, D.O. is the newest physician to join Naples Urology Associates, a division of 21st Century Oncology. Dr. Guttman is originally from Brooklyn, New York and claims, “it is a melting pot where every block is a different country.” At one point in his life Dr. Guttman thought he might go into a financial field, but listened to his intuitive intellect, and set a course for medicine instead. Dr. Guttman received his undergraduate degree in Biology in Brooklyn College Scholars Program, Honors Academy CUNY. He then attended the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, ... Read More »

By Marya Repko  Everglades City has over 50 historic buildings, and a few of these will open their doors to visitors on March 10 at the Third Annual Everglades Homes Tour. The Everglades Society for Historic Preservation (ESHP) is again sponsoring the event from 1:00 to 5:00 PM. Cost of seeing some of the oldest homes and buildings in Collier County is only $20 per person. The price includes a souvenir booklet with a map, pictures, and historical information. Registration for those without advanced tickets will be in McLeod Park, across the street from City Hall, right on the circle ... Read More »

By Coastal Breeze News Staff  An evening of haute couture elegance befitting places like New York and Milan is on hand this weekend at The Hope Ball, the second annual gala event supporting the Marco Island Branch of the American Cancer Society. The ball will be held Saturday, February 25th at the palatial Greystone Manor in the Estates, a perfect backdrop to a luxurious event. The stunning estate, owned by Tim Farris and Maria Coords, sits on three luxurious acres on Roberts Bay. Docents will be available throughout the home to answer any questions. Marc Bouwer, will display his latest ... Read More »

With 185 cars and 3000 attendees, the Kiwanis car show was “HUUUUUUGE”! All proceeds from the show will go to fund the various children’s programs including scholarships, summer camps and educational books, to name a few. Owners, such as Barry Ward, love their vehicles. Barry donned a t-shirt that read “plays with cars” and was proud of his 1932 Auburn reproduction. The car was built by Speedster Motor Cars and is the only one of its kind. The basic vehicle, without the supercharged V-2 396 horsepower chevy engine was a $30,000 investment. Barry has a collection of 25 cars and ... Read More »

By Coastal Breeze News Staff Last year a tradition was born on Marco Island – the first annual “Bravest v. Finest” soft ball game, between the Fire Rescue Department and the Police Department. It was a smash hit; in fact a home run. The tradition carries on this year on March 3rd at Winterberry Park. It’s fun for the family with free admission and lots of activity for all ages. The “Bravest v. Finest” game is part of a larger program featuring a band from the Marco Island Charter Middle School, a two inning game with players from the Cal ... Read More »