The River Weekly News Will Correct Factual Errors Or Matters of Emphasis and Interpretation That Appear in News Stories
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Flag Day June 14th Read Us Online at IslandSunNews.com VOL. 11, NO. 22 From the Beaches to the River District downtown Fort Myers JUNE 8, 2012 this month are: Celebrate National Trails Month • Summer Camp 2012 – Where The Lately Lucid? Wild Ones Are, running through August 3. At Calusa Nature Center In June Summer camp programs are designed To Perform At to foster an appreciation of the natural world and to encourage interest and won- Music Walk der. Each session will involve outside activi- ties, games, crafts, experiments, stories, and live animal presentations, along with a lot of just plain fun. Each camper will have the opportunity to hike all of the trails and see a planetarium show. Daily camp schedules are available for review upon request. All curricula have been updated for summer 2012. Spaces are limited. Visit www.CalusaNature.org for full details. Camps for June 11 to 15: Wacky, Wild & Weird (Ages five to eight), Animal Grossology (Ages eight to 11) Camps for June 18 to 22: Tales & Trails Pre-K Camp, Space Explorers (Ages five to eight), Space Science (Ages eight to 11) Camps for June 25 to 29: Wild About Water (Ages five to eight), Water You Doing? (Ages eight to 11), Become A Explore the Calusa Nature Center’s trails Junior Naturalist (Ages 12 to 16) Lately Lucid? une is National Trails Month at the DeWolfe Tuesdays and Fridays at 10 a.m. • Florida State Beekeepers Association Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium (except June 29) or learn how to identify Conference, held on Friday, June 8 and he Sidney & Berne Davis Art Jin Fort Myers. The facility is reachable stars and constellations every day at 1:30 Saturday, June 9 Center will host Lately Lucid? at by car, bike, hike or bus. p.m. in the planetarium. Hundreds of beekeepers from around Tthe June 15 Music Walk. The show Take a guided walk with Norm Among the activities and special events the state descend upon the Calusa Nature continued on page 4 continued on page 15 Historic Coast Guard Vessel To Become Diving Destination by Jeff Lysiak fter years of service to the United States Navy, patrolling the icy Awaters of the northern Atlantic Ocean and guarding America’s eastern seaboard throughout World War II, the 77-year-old USS Mohawk will soon make her final voyage. The former Coast Guard “A” class cutter is slated to become a veteran’s memorial reef, a recreational destination for scuba divers and fishermen approximately 13 miles off the coast of Sanibel. On May 16, the USS Mohawk arrived in Fort Myers Beach following a two-day journey from Key West, where for the past several years she served as home to the Miami-Dade Historical Maritime Museum. Over the next several weeks, she will undergo renovations at Kelly Brothers Marine Contractors, which will transform the 165-foot vessel into an artificial reef. “By using the Mohawk as a veterans’ memorial reef, we are able to prevent a piece of our national history from being The USS Mohawk, which arrived in Fort Myers Beach on May 16, is currently under construction to become a veterans’ memorial reef off turned into scrap, all while honoring our the coast of Sanibel continued on page 16 photo by Jeff Lysiak 2 THE RIVER - JUNE 8, 2012 Historic Downtown Fort Myers, Then And Now: The Florida House by Gerri Reaves he Florida House was one of several downtown hotel- boardinghouses in the early years of the twentieth cen- Ttury. In this 1910 photograph, a group of well-dressed guests poses on the porch. Notice the open windows without screens and the rain barrel by the side of the building. It was converted from the former Sellers house and enlarged to 20 rooms. The top floor accommodations of the two-and-a- half story hotel must have been uncomfortably warm during the hotter months. Located only two blocks from the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) depot at Oak (now Main) and Monroe Streets, the hotel was suitably located to serve a new and growing tourist industry that flourished after railway service was estab- lished in downtown Fort Myers in 1904. Like other hotels of its day, the Florida House sent porters to meet each train. In 1908, it was the only hotel on the south side of Oak Street between Hendry and Monroe. Only two private residences occupied the north side of that long block in those early days. It didn’t take long, however, for other hotels and boarding houses to spring up, among them the Florida House’s western neighbor, Hotel Kentucky, visible on the right in the historic photo. Today a parking lot occupies the site where the Florida House once stood. To the right is the Lee County Administrative Annex East (former Wachovia Financial Center). photo by Gerri Reaves Soon after this photo was taken, the large Michigan Hotel was built across the street, occupying the upper floor of half the Hendry block between Oak and First. By the building boom of the World War I years, the Florida House was gone and the street was becoming increasingly commercial, particularly spurred on by the build- ing of Tonnelier Court (now known as Patio de Leon). All over town, hotels that resembled comfortable Victorian-era family homes gave way to modern hotels. The Florida House’s string of managers included Mr. and Mrs. WA Nelson and Mr. and Mrs. JV Tillis. In December, Mr. and Mrs. JE Baucom took over, with Mrs. Baucom in charge of the housekeeping and culinary departments, as the advertise- ment read. They promised the “best 35 cent meals in the city.” Walk down Main Street to the former site of a hotel that offered a central location, plenty of fresh air, and home-cooked meals. Then stroll a few blocks to the Southwest Florida Museum of History at 2031 Jackson Street to learn more about what was happening in the first decade of the last century. For information, call 321-7430 or go to www.museumofhistory.org. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Then be sure to visit the Southwest Florida Historical Society, where you can research early hotel-boardinghouse. The all-volunteer non-profit organization is located at 10091 McGregor Boulevard on the campus of the Lee County Alliance for the Arts. Contact the society at 939-4044, or drop by on Wednesday or Saturday between 9 a.m. and noon. Sources: The archives of the Southwest Florida Historical Society, Fort Myers by Gregg Turner and Stan Mulford, and the Story of Fort Myers by Karl H. Grismer. In the early 20th century, establishments such as the Florida House and Hotel Kentucky (right background) served the growing tourist trade after railway service began in down- town Fort Myers courtesy of the Southwest Florida Historical Society Read Us Online: www.IslandSunNews.com Contributing Writers Click on The River Jennifer Basey Joan Hooper Kimberley Berisford Audrey Krienen Advertising Sales Graphic Arts/Production Photographer Suzy Cohen Scott Martell Isabel Rasi Ann Ziehl Michael Heider Ed Frank Capt. Matt Mitchell George Beleslin Sarah Crooks Writers Max Friedersdorf Patricia Molloy Co-Publishers Stacy Osborn Kris See Gerri Reaves, Ph D Priscilla Friedersdorf Laura Zocki Puerto Lorin Arundel Office Coordinator Anne Mitchell Jim George Di Saggau and Ken Rasi Patricia Molloy Jeff Lysiak Dr. Dave Hepburn Scott White 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 2012 The River Weekly News • LORKEN Publications, Inc. PAPER THE RIVER - JUNE 8, 2012 3 Grand Floridian Society Orchestra 3 Divas & The Dons Tickets Available Now For Summer Concert Series hell Point Retirement Community’s 3rd annual Summer Concert Series is slated to start on Friday, June 15 with the 3 Divas & The Dons at 7:30 p.m. SThis series will also welcome the Grand Floridian Society Orchestra in July and the Crossroads Quartet in August. Tickets are available to the general public for all three concerts. “Many residents live here year-round, and we love being able to offer this concert series for everyone to enjoy. This will be our third year, and the feedback from the first two years has been amazing,” said Dawn Boren, director of resident life. 3 Divas & The Dons – Friday, June 15 Crossroads Quartet One of Sarasota’s most popular ensembles comprised of vocalists and instrumental- Tim O’Connor and pianist Steve McCoy. ists, 3 Divas & The Dons are known for presenting exciting programs of varied musi- Grand Floridian Society Orchestra – Monday, July 30 cal styles. Their eclectic repertoire covers a broad spectrum of compositions ranging Coming to us from Walt Disney World’s Grand Floridian Resort is the ever popular from opera to Broadway, as well as sacred, folk, patriotic and the Great American Grand Floridian Society Orchestra, under the leadership of Pat Doyle. This orchestra Songbook. The “Divas” are comprised of harpist Bonnie Caplan, lyric soprano Lorraine Murphy and mezzo soprano Amy Connours. The “Dons” include baritone continued on page 4 EARLY BIRD SPECIALS (4-6pm) $9.99 Ft. Myers & Sanibel ONLY DAILY LUNCH SPECIALS ® If our seafood were any fresher, we would be serving it under water.