River Weekly News Will Correct Factual Errors Or Matters of Emphasis and Interpretation That Appear in News Stories
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FREE Take Me Read Us Online at Home IslandSunNews.com VOL. 14, NO. 42 From the Beaches to the River District downtown Fort Myers OCTOBER 23, 2015 Photographer Holding Fundraiser For Big Cypress National Preserve ationally acclaimed wilderness pho- tographer Clyde Butcher, known Nthroughout Florida for his exquisite black and white, large-format photographs of the state’s landscape, and his wife Niki, are hosting a fundraiser to benefit the Big Cypress National Preserve’s environmental education program. The fundraiser is scheduled for Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Butcher’s Big Cypress Gallery in the Big Cypress National Preserve in Ochopee, Florida. The weekend’s activi- ties will provide guests with the opportunity to meet the husband and wife duo and hear stories about their adventures photograph- ing the preserve, take ranger-guided swamp Edison Ford Chief Curator Mike Cosden Pure Florida’s Capt. Lance Julian walks and listen to ranger lectures. Butcher will also be signing books for visitors. “Big Cypress National Preserve and the Edison Ford Estates To Host Everglades have always been at the heart of Clyde and Niki Butcher my photography,” said Butcher. “During this Exhibit And Film Screening weekend of events, I hope guests will see for themselves the jewel we have in our midst dison & Ford Winter Estates invites the community to take a historical journey, and help maintain the vitality of the Big Cypress National Preserve. It is a legacy we must following along the unique history of film from Thomas Edison’s early film years pass on to our children and their children.” Eto the making of the movie Titanic. During the two-day event, a 1.5-hour guided classic swamp walk tour will be offered Edison Ford’s Chief Curator Mike Cosden, Capt. Lance Julian and Capt. Harry to take participants in waist-deep water through the preserve. A 30- to 45- minute intro- Julian of Pure Florida and filmmaker Jim Scoular will present an all-inclusive look into ductory swamp walk tour is also available and caters to those who might be apprehen- the evolution of film and its impact on the industry. The special feature will be encom- sive about the deeper preserve waters. For every paid adult on the $50 or $40 tours, a passed in two events at Edison Ford, including a Titanic Film Exhibit and Filmmaker child can attend for free. All proceeds from the ranger-led swamp walks and a portion Discussion on Sunday, October 25 from 4 to 6 p.m. and movie screening of Titanic on of the gallery’s weekend sales will be donated to the Big Cypress National Preserve’s continued on page 6 continued on page 5 Local Restaurants And Entertainers Featured At Italian Fest f you’ve got a craving for great Italian food and want to help local charities, Iattend Italian Fest on Sunday, October 25 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Alliance for the Arts. All proceeds raised will ben- efit the Foundation for Lee County Public Schools’ Take Stock in Children Program and the Fort Myers Rotary Trust Fund. Taking part in this year’s Italian Fest are long-time favorite restaurants including LaMotta’s Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria, Mario’s Meat Market and Deli, University Grill, McGregor Pizza and Deli, and Queenie’s Ice Cream. New to the festival this year is Bruno’s of Brooklyn Italian Eatery. Restaurants will feature Old Country favorites including eggplant rollatini, chicken parmigiana, Italian sausage and peppers, meatballs, tortellini, pizza, gelato, zeppole, Sample some of the area’s finest food at Italian Fest cannoli and Italian cheesecake. star Abby Fletcher, A Moment in Time, Alter Ego Band and Miss CC’s Creative Arts “We are so grateful to the chefs and res- Dancers. Family activities will include a marinara contest, spaghetti eating contest, kids taurant owners who dish up not only great area, family games and other activities. Blankets and lawn chairs are encouraged, how- food, but do it to help benefit our commu- ever, coolers are prohibited. nity,” said Steve Russell, president of the The Alliance for the Arts is at 10091 McGregor Boulevard on the corner of Rotary Club of Fort Myers. McGregor and Colonial boulevards. The entertainment lineup includes accor- This event is made possible by the generous support of TriCircle Pavers. dion players, young Italian opera super- Spaghetti eating contest For more details, visit www.FortMyersItalianFest.org or call 939-2787. 2 THE RIVER - OCTOBER 23, 2015 Historic Downtown Fort Myers, Then And Now: Travelodge On West First by Gerri Reaves, PhD n the early 1960s, large infill projects started to transform West First Street in a flurry of commercial activity. Travelodge Iwas one of the very first of those projects. In May 1962, the international motel chain Travelodge pur- chased a riverfront site a bit west of Carson Street. The 50-unit motel opened in January 1964. The historic photo was taken years after the opening when a new sign was installed, probably in the 1970s. Note the building’s decorative blocks and the scalloped – or “wavey” – roof of the porte-cochère, typical mid-1960s architec- tural features that have disappeared in the intervening years. Travelodge offered an up-to-date alternative to some of the older tourist homes and motorcourts in Fort Myers. Amenities included a heated pool overlooking the river and cable TV, which was a pretty nifty thing in the 1960s, even if there were very few channels. The national motel chain had begun with the opening of an auto-court in 1935 in San Diego. It was success- ful, so others were opened in the next five years. In 1940, the one named Travelodge opened. The company’s name became Travelodge in 1946. The mascot, a nightshirt clad Sleepy Bear featured on the large sign, was born in 1954. Others signs of infill development visible in the historic photo are the Holiday Inn sign (far left), Today, the former Travelodge building’s look has changed – no Sleepy Bear beckons, and just beyond the oval Dobbs condominium towers loom nearby House Snack Bar sign. The photo by Gerri Reaves Holiday Inn had opened on Club at Clifford Street. the riverfront not long after Although only seven stories, that condo was then the tallest structure along West Travelodge did. First. The former Travelodge Walk down West First Street and appreciate the engineering ingenuity that turned has outlived its competing river into commercial property. Holiday Inn and is still a Then, wander over to the Southwest Florida Museum of History at 2031Jackson hotel. The Holiday Inn was Street to learn more about mid-twentieth century downtown. demolished several years Call 321-7430 for information, or go to museumofhistory.org. Hours are 10 a.m. ago for a planned condo to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. development. Visiting the Southwest Florida Historical Society’s research center is a must-do for Since Travelodge opened all local-history fans. in 1964, high-rise condo- The all-volunteer non-profit organization is located at 10091 McGregor Boulevard miniums have become a on the campus of the Lee County Alliance for the Arts. major feature along West Travelodge opened on West First in January 1964. This photo The research center is open Wednesday and Saturday between 9 a.m. and noon First. In fact, when Travelo- was taken later, probably in the 1970s, when a new sign and Wednesday 4 to 7 p.m. Call 939-4044 or visit swflhistoricalsociety.org for more dge opened, the street’s first was installed. The oval sign on the left is for Dobbs House information. high-rise condo was under Snack Bar and the one beyond it for Holiday Inn. Sources: Archives of the Southwest Florida Historical Society, the Fort Myers courtesy Southwest Florida Historical Society, construction, the Riverside Stanley Ink Collection Press, and travelodge.com. Read Us Online: www.IslandSunNews.com Contributing Writers Click on The River Jennifer Basey Marion Hauser, MS, RD Advertising Sales Graphic Arts/Production Photographer Kimberley Berisford Ross Hauser, MD Isabel Rasi Ann Ziehl Michael Heider Suzy Cohen Audrey Krienen George Beleslin Kristy See Ed Frank Capt. Matt Mitchell Writers Co-Publishers Rachel Atkins Jim George Patricia Molloy Gerri Reaves, Ph D Lorin Arundel Office Coordinator Shelley Greggs Di Saggau Anne Mitchell and Ken Rasi Patricia Molloy Tom Hall Cynthia A. Williams Jeff Lysiak The River Weekly News will correct factual errors or matters of emphasis and interpretation that appear in news stories. Readers with news, tips, comments or questions, please call (239) 415-7732 or write to: The River Weekly News, 1609 Hendry Street, Suite 15, Fort Myers, FL 33901. Fax number: (239) 415-7702. E-mail: [email protected]. The River Weekly News reserves the right to refuse, alter or edit any editorial or advertisement. PRINTED ON RECYCLED Independently Owned And Operated • COPYRIGHT 2015 The River Weekly News • LORKEN Publications, Inc. PAPER THE RIVER - OCTOBER 23, 2015 3 Fort Myers Art: of the Union soldiers garrisoned at Fort Myers were black. Not former slaves, but Battle Of Fort free men mostly from Maryland. And they discharged their duties with a fervor Myers Mural the Confederate sympathizers especially by Tom Hall loathed. The Confederate Army couldn’t spare any soldiers to attack the fort, so he Battle of at the direction of John McKay, Sr., Fort Myers chief commissary for the Fifth District of Twas fought on Florida, the ranchers formed a home- February 20, 1865. grown battalion to protect their slaves Many are surprised and what was left of their cattle.