Coastal Breeze News

By Carol Glassman Many people dream of visiting Australia and New Zealand, but those same people are usually intimidated by the distance and the cost. These are certainly facts to consider but when you think of the rewards of being in these unique countries, you may find it worth the effort. Give yourself a lot of lead time to plan the trip, and if you ever thought about cashing in those reward points you have been so carefully stashing, now may be the time to do it and splurge. This may be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so make the most of ... Read More »

By Jane A. The Museum of Military Memorabilia opened August 1, 2011 in the Commercial Terminal of the Naples Municipal Airport in time for a memorial event, “Keeping the Spirit of ’45 Alive”. The opening of the museum was preceded by a year of planning which began with a request to place some of the existing organization’s military memorabilia in the airport for public display. Robert (Bob) McDonald, president of the museum established in 2006, was looking for a new location for the growing collection of memorabilia. He met Theodore (Ted) Soliday, then Executive Director of the airport, at an ... Read More »

By Natalie Strom [email protected] Sometimes scars aren’t always visible. Just because someone has been injured doesn’t mean it’s going to show. TBI or Traumatic Brain Injury is one such hidden scar – or PTSD. Some scars can be seen, like the loss of a limb or a slice down the center of one’s stomach in order to put them back together. Regardless of the type of scar, it stays with you – and you have to choose how you’re going to deal with it. For soldiers of any war, these types of scars are all too common – be they ... Read More »

By Coastal Breeze News Staff The annual nesting season for Loggerhead Sea Turtles has begun! From May 1st through October 31st, female sea turtles come ashore, lay their eggs  and by the end of October, their babies should have hatched and scurried off to sea. Female sea turtles only come out of the the water to nest, but only every two to three years. When they do nest, they can lay three to five nests in one season, averaging 100 eggs per nest. Female Loggerheads can be quite picky when deciding where to nest. Often times, debris along beaches, artificial ... Read More »

By Coastal Breeze News Staff The City of Marco Island holds a spectacular fireworks event each Fourth of July at the beach.  Thousands of residents and visitors flock to the beach that weekend to enjoy our sandy shores and beautiful water and to get prime viewing of the lovely fireworks display. The City is tasked for paying the $40,000.00 (plus) price tag for the fireworks display.  The Chamber of Commerce joined forces with the City of Marco in the fundraising effort over the past few years forming a committee to coordinate the campaign. The drive for the 2013 fireworks display ... Read More »

By Noelle H. Lowery [email protected] When one door closes, another one opens. At least that’s the case for the Isles of Capri Fire Control and Rescue District. On May 3rd, the Isles of Capri Fire Advisory Board voted 3-2 against consolidating its Collier County-operated fire district with the East Naples Fire Department, leaving the embattled district in limbo. Three days later, the Marco Island City Council committed to an intense study of bringing the Isles of Capri Fire District under its wing. City Manager Jim Riviere was tasked with penning a letter to Collier County Manager Leo Ochs, informing him ... Read More »

By Natalie Strom [email protected] Every woman wants to feel good about themselves. No matter the age, ethnicity, size, shape, employment or family life; every woman wants to look and feel pretty – inside and out. Marco Island resident, Marina Zelner believes in this idea, whole-heartedly. The entrepeneuer began her Queen Grace clothing line for plus size women three years ago because, “I wanted (plus size) women to be able to wake up, put on a dress and feel comfortable and confident. Because once you feel confident, your whole personality shines through,” states Marina with a grand smile. “The mission of ... Read More »

By Natalie Strom [email protected] Without the support of volunteers, the City of Marco Island would be a much different place. No fool to this fact, the city honored its volunteers at a luncheon held on April 25th at the Rose History Auditorium at the Marco Island Historical Museum. A lovely lunch of chicken salad, wraps, BBQ beef sandwiches, meatballs, pasta salad and divine multi-flavored cheesecake slices were the fare of the day. City Manager Dr. Jim Riviere and Council Chair Joe Batte both spoke briefly, thanking all the volunteers for their hard work and dedication. As volunteers and city employees ... Read More »

By Julia Barnett Marco Island is a paradise. Amazing beaches, fine restaurants, local plays, shows, music and events all add up to a diverse and culture-rich experience. There was something missing, however—mini golf. A long beloved pastime of many and a great activity to do with the family, there has been talk of putting a mini-golf or putt-putt course on Marco for years, and now it’s finally happened. The Marco Golf and Garden is officially open for business. Owned by local lawyer Fred Kramer, and located on Winterberry Avenue, right next to Sasso’s and close to the Marco Walk Plaza ... Read More »

By Natalie Strom [email protected] When planning the large-scale transformation of the Conservancy of Southwest Florida’s Nature Center, not one penny of the $20 million creation was used in vain. From the wood planked entrance that bridges a natural Gopher Tortoise sanctuary to the intricately planned Dalton Discovery Center, information and learning tools are available at every turn. The Conservancy, located just south of the Naples Zoo on Goodlette Frank Rd., unveiled its ingenious architectural center over the weekend of April 20th and 21st. With the word “conservancy” in its name, there was no doubt that this would be the thought ... Read More »

By Noelle H. Lowery [email protected] Laughter. Music. Splashing. Hugs, and even a couple of tears. All of these marked a very special weekend at the Greater Marco Family YMCA. The festivities began at 11 AM with the annual Healthy Kids Day, a kickoff to summer activities to help kids be “active from head to toe.” The event was complete with games, arts and crafts, bounce house, healthy foods and a vendors court with a Scholastic Book Fair. The main attraction of the day — the dedication of the aquatics center to “Ms. Dottie” Weiner — was held at 1 PM. ... Read More »

By Noelle H. Lowery [email protected] Mindy Gordon is a very busy woman. The recreation manager for the City of Marco Island’s Parks and Recreation Department has been up with the sun every Tuesday and Wednesday since November helping to transform Veterans Memorial Park into the weekly Farmer’s Market and then back into a park again. Then there are the countless other events she and the five other members of the Parks and Recreation staff focused on in the last six months — the Jolley Be Good 5K Run/Walk; the city’s annual Christmas Tree Lighting, Boat Parade and Street Parade; Cookies ... Read More »

By Coastal Breeze News Staff Hundreds of residents filed through the Fire Station piling pancakes on their plates, with mounds of scrambled eggs and sausage too; all to the delight of diners. The breakfast, a fundraiser held twice a year by the Fire Rescue Foundation, was an astounding success. Volunteers take care of the preparation, cooking and serving. Fire rescue personnel are on hand greeting members of the community and offering kids the chance to check out the fire trucks. The breakfast culminated with a drawing for a cruise won by Barb and Lou Prigge. The Prigges’ purchased six of ... Read More »

By Natalie Strom [email protected] It was a beautiful, inviting evening on the terrace of the Marco Ocean Beach Resort on April 17th. Caribbean music coincided with the beautiful beach scenery during the Annual International RE/MAX Awards Ceremony, held every Spring, honoring realtors for their efforts during the year prior. The evening brought recognition to some of the top selling realtors on Marco Island as well as honoring some who received country-wide recognition. The hosts for the evening were RE/MAX Affinity Plus owners, Rocky Farhat and Debra Meredith-Peters, who took over the Marco Island Re/Max franchise in the Fall of 2012. ... Read More »

Collier County students have hit the home stretch of the 2012/13 school year. Schools have completed FCAT testing and released third semester grades. Below is the honor roll for area schools as determined by the School District. Congratulations to all the students on their efforts.   Everglades City School Straight A Honors Brandy Bowen, Destany Vanleeuwen.   Lely Elementary School Elementary “A” Honor Roll Maria Almaraz, Rommel Cintron Santos, Angel Diaz, Kelly Gonzalez, Ariel Joel, Audrey Lazure, John Mccarty, Jessica O’meara, Carlos Perez, Leonardo Quezada, Julian Rodriguez, Vincent Rosati, Yasmin Samaha, Taylor Savage, Hisam Setyawan.   Mike Davis Elementary Elementary ... Read More »

By Noelle H. Lowery [email protected] Local artist Malenda Trick is at it again. After a season full of art classes and portrait painting, the art licensing diva is hard at work at her next endeavor — a home decor fabric deal with Los Angeles-based Robert Kaufman Fabrics. The fabrics will include her now famous shoe and purse images, combined with eye-popping color and designs. Coastal Breeze News recently caught up with Trick at her cozy French flat-style studio to find out more about the fabric deal and about what she will be up to next. CB: How did you become ... Read More »

By Carol Glassman What are the possibilities? “If an orange peel can become a rose, what can you blossom into?” Not many people would turn their thoughts in a positive direction like this, or perhaps even think in terms of an orange peel-to-rose analogy. After all, orange peels are trash and roses are objects of beauty, aren’t they? Catalina Lemaitre, founder of Calamarie (eco handmade art), had both the vision and experience to apply the synergy necessary to develop someone’s trash into treasure. With a background in public diplomacy and economic development for the State Department combined with a love ... Read More »

Submitted During the April 10th meeting of the Marco Island Writers members and guests were pleasantly surprised by guest speaker, Janina Stankiewicz Chung who gave an inspiring talk about her novel, Far East of the Sun. Mrs. Chung was born in Belarus in 1938 and came to the United States with her family through the Displaced Persons Resettlement Program in 1951. Her novel tells the story of her family and explores another side of World War II, that of the displaced person.  Her father was arrested by the Russians and sent to Siberia and managed to escape no less than ... Read More »

By Natalie Strom [email protected] “I’ve always said that the nice thing about us is when you ask one of us to do something, you automatically get two people. We’re a team. Kind of like Batman and Robin. Only, I just realized that I’m Robin!” These are the words of Lou Prigge, spoken on the evening of April 27th at the Fifth Annual Spirit of Marco Island Awards Gala and Dinner, hosted by the Noontime Rotary of Marco Island. Lou Prigge and his wife Barbara, were presented with the last of the five awards that evening, but their gratitude was beyond ... Read More »

By Natalie Strom [email protected] “At one time or another it seems that all hvac (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) men dream of working on the big equipment – going up on the top of multi-story buildings, working on cooling towers and seeing the expanse of the city below. Next, they get into the basement to work on the centrifugal compressors and steam boilers as big as school busses for hot water and heat or water pumps as big as dog houses to transport the chilled water to air handlers,” explains Ken Sampson. “My dad lived an hvac mechanic’s dream. He ... Read More »