EDITOR’S
LETTER
As the days of summer draw to an end
on the island another season on the
island is on its way. In October we will
see The Gasparilla Inn & Club opening its
doors once again for the 105th season, and in
November the Friends of the Boca Grande
Community Center will start their new year of
symposiums, music and presentations.
After an unusually quiet summer (thanks to
red tide) the shops and restaurants will be
booming again and the beaches will have
visitors.
This summer we lost part of our hearts
when lifelong Boca Grande resident Isabelle Joiner died. She was not just the matriarch of Boca Grande’s
Whidden’s Marina, she was the island’s “queen bee” for a very long time. We wanted to include her story,
as well as her sister Barbara’s, so we can all remember these two women who made such a difference in
so many lives one more time.
This September we will also be celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Boca Grande Fire Department.
As it is in many small towns, our firefighters do a little of everything for everyone, from hanging banners
at a party, to giving CPR classes and saving people’s property and lives in a fire. We are blessed to have a
very hard-working group of guys at our station, so don’t forget to stop by the party in October (see the
article on page 29) and tell them so.
As your visitors trickle down from the north to visit, make sure you take advantage of some new
adventures, such as visiting the Dakin Dairy Farm in inland Florida or staying close to home and learning
a new craft (hint: Indulge in a little rug-making class, if you can).
And, if you have the taste for a slightly
different adventure, stop by the Indian
Spring Cemetery in Punta Gorda this Halloween.
It’s worth the trip historically, but
if you start to hear the dogs barking or the
babies crying in the distance ... it might be
time for a hasty departure.
Remember to breathe, remember to
smile, and be kind to each other ...
Marcy Shortuse
Editor-in-Chief
10 GASPARILLA ISLAND September/October 2018