The Boca Beacon: The newspaper of Boca Grande/Gasparilla Island

01/11/2025

The Wait is Over! Gasparilla Island Lighthouse Climbs Return Tomorrow!

After 3 ½ months of closure due to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, the lighthouse is reopening Sunday from 11 AM to 3 PM! Don’t miss breathtaking 360° views and the chance to celebrate this iconic beacon’s resilience. Admission is $15 for adults and $5 for children under 12 (must be 48” tall to climb). Arrive early to secure your spot—spaces are limited!

01/05/2025

The late illustrator Charley Harper created famous images of nature, for not only magazines, but biology textbooks. Curator and collector Terry Wright will explore the early days of his career on Jan. 17 at the Peace River Botanical & Sculpture Gardens at 5800 Riverside Dr., Punta Gorda. Harper worked for magazines like Ford Times with a style called minimal realism; Wright will discuss and show original silkscreens from his series Ten Southern Birds.

Visit peacerivergardens.org; more information in Ballyhoo. Here, his silk screen Snowy Egret.

01/03/2025

The island said goodbye today to Babe Darna.

Merritt “Babe” Neel Darna, a member of one of Boca Grande’s legacy families, died December 24, 2024. Babe was born on May 16, 1938 to Alfonso and Edith Darn ...

01/03/2025

Our first edition of 2025 is out. Inside we have stories about upcoming Friends of Boca Grande talks, including Doug Bradburn of Mount Vernon and Yale Prof. Paul Freedman, on our new Books and Things page.

Plus a remembrance of Capt. Babe Darna, New Year's resolutions from visitors at the The Pink Pony of Boca Grande, the 40th anniversary of the GICIA bike trail, a pink elephant cloud (really!) plus the photo of American Glory cruise ship saluting our Boca Grande Lighthouse. Oh and then there are some Mystic Powerboats photographed at Boca Grande Marina on an owners run.

Find a copy at your local retailer, or sign up for our e-edition.

01/03/2025

JT and Abigail Turner were at the Old Theater today putting sand back on the Emil Alzamora sculpture Abrazo. By the way the sculpture, which sits at the entrance to Scarpas, has been on the official “Roadside America” list of popular sites since 2014. The old sand washed and was flooded during Helene and Milton. The sculpture has a lovely patina and seems better than ever.

This week Abrazo was in our Boca Beacon This Date column for its installation in 2005, exactly 20 years ago this week. The installation was at the behest of the Kruder family, owners of the building.

12/29/2024

The Gasparilla Island Tennis Classic opens on Saturday, Jan. 18. Registration and dates are in the link below.

The all-island tournament, sponsored by the Boca Beacon’s publisher, Dusty Hopkins, will be held at the Boca Bay Pass Club, The Gasparilla Inn Tennis Club and the Boca Grande Club. The matches will begin on Saturday, Jan. 18 and will end on Saturday, Feb. 8. Everyone is welcome to enter; it is open to all area residents, members and guests of all three clubs.

The Gasparilla Island Tennis Classic opens on Saturday, Jan. 18. The all-island tournament, sponsored by the Boca Beacon’s publisher, Dusty Hopkins, will be ...

12/28/2024

The Boca Grande Area Chamber of Commerce held its annual meeting and December mixer on a chilly evening last week.

12/27/2024

This week our Ballyhoo column has sales on the island at retailers, as well as regional events across the Cape Haze peninsula. On island, Scarpa’s Coastal is open. Todd Hampton and Jessica Carfagno are ready to serve you at the bar.

https://bocabeacon.com/scarpas-is-open-plus-briefs-from-ballyhoo-this-week-of-dec-27/

12/27/2024

Today is Friday and our new Boca Beacon is out. Take a peek at our Year in Review, as well as see details about the return of the Farmer's Market to the Bayou on Jan. 3. Plus registration info on the Gasparilla Island Tennis Classic, sponsored by the Boca Beacon.

12/27/2024

A New Year's column by Capt. Van Hubbard

We celebrate the birth of Christ, Christmas and welcome a New Year.
2024 was tough on most of us and I’m looking forward to 2025. While times have been challenging, we live in a very special place. Recent events have us climbing uphill, but we can still enjoy our piece of paradise and go fishing. Christmas is a great opportunity to make time for family gatherings. Be thankful for your family and friends and find time to enjoy them, as some are not as fortunate.

Read more online with the Beacon at:

We celebrate the birth of Christ, Christmas and welcome a New Year. 2024 was tough on most of us and I’m looking forward to 2025. While times have been chal ...

12/27/2024

Take a quick tour of the Christmas lights of Boca Grande, courtesy of Matt Gutman, photographer for the Boca Beacon and Gasparilla Island Gasparilla Magazine, as recorded Christmas Eve.

https://bocabeacon.com/lights-of-boca-grande-2024-by-matt-gutman/

12/27/2024

Next Friday, the Farmers Market officially returns. This time it is on the Bayou, catty cornered across from The Pink Elephant, and thanks to the cooperation of The Gasparilla Inn. Perhaps we can call it Farmer's Market, On the Bayou!

The Farmer’s Market will have a temporary location in town, on the Boca Grande Bayou near The Pink Elephant. The Bayou Avenue spot will open for the season ...

12/24/2024

So many Christmas Eve memories, especially at the Crowninshield House.

BY KAREN GRACE, BOCA GRANDE HISTORY CENTER For many years, Christmas Eve at the Louise du Pont Crowninshield Community House brought Santa and gifts. The Co ...

12/24/2024

For those who are eagerly awaiting the return of the Boca Grande Farmer's Market, they do not yet have an opening day, as the Wheeler Road site is still closed because of the hurricane. They are, however, trying to find other options.

The farmer’s market, which is usually held Fridays during season at Wheeler Road, could likely look a little different this spring. Currently, they are look ...

12/23/2024

Here, a list of Christmas services on Gasparilla Island.

Lighthouse United Methodist Church December 24 • Family Service 5 p.m.• Traditional candlelight service 7 p.m. Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church December 24 ...

12/22/2024

Glenn Scarpa of Scarpa’s Coastal was recently interviewed by Bloomberg Wall Street Week for a feature on insurance costs in Florida and across the United States. The show showed the interior of Scarpa’s, and how high water had been during the hurricanes.

Glenn Scarpa of Scarpa’s Coastal was recently interviewed by Bloomberg Wall Street Week for a feature on insurance costs in Florida and across the United St ...

12/21/2024

The Johann Fust Library Foundation team is working hard to restore the library so it can reopen soon. In the meantime, the foundation invites you back to its courtyard and loggia on Friday, Jan. 17, at 4 p.m., for the first event of the 2024-2025 season, featuring author Lynn Stegner.

Author and publisher Nan Doyal will be in conversation with featured author Lynn Stegner. Lynn will speak about her latest novel, “The Half-Life of Guilt.” She is the daughter-in-law of the legendary Pulitzer Prize-winning author Wallace Stegner, and her fiction has been compared to the works of Margaret Atwood, Barbara Kingsolver, and Alice Munro.

Full details here:

The Johann Fust Library Foundation team is working hard to restore the library so it can reopen soon. In the meantime, the foundation invites you back to it ...

12/20/2024

Remember that the Range Light is lit for the first time this season. Our Publisher Dusty Hopkins was out with his camera last weekend for the lighting. In our edition this week we also have the social photos of who was there.