!
"#$
%&'
Bocapalooza
By Marcy Shortuse and Grant Bell
Photos provided and from Beacon archives
Boca Grande seems to be a place that people simply cannot forget. Kids who grew up
here will always remember the bicycle rides, the barefoot afternoons, the lazy summer
days, camping for days in the woods and, of course, the beach.
In other words, you can take the kid out of Boca Grande but you can’t take Boca Grande out
of the kid.
The year 2009 saw the fi rst offi cial reunion of “Boca Grande” kids of all ages. Its motto was,
“If you grew up in Boca Grande you HAVE to come to this reunion (and if you haven’t grown
up yet but spent some part of your childhood in Boca Grande you should still come).”
It was not a large event as far as the number of people who came, but it went on for a few
days. That’s because anyone who grew up here wanted to come back and see their island
Shown above, one of the very fi rst Bocapalooza gatherings was also one of the most well attended.
January/February • 2021 • GASPARILLA MAGAZINE 79