Read Us Online at lslandSunNews.com VOL. 22, NO. 23 SANIBEL & CAPTIVA ISLANDS, FLORIDA NOVEMBER 28, 2014 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER SUNRISE/SUNSET: 28 6:57 > 5:36 29 6:57 * 5:36 30 6:58 • 5:36 1 6:59 * 5:36 2 7:00 * 5:36 3 7:00 * 5:36 4 7:01* 5:36 Wolanin Adds Rockin' Christmas Concert At BIG ARTS by Jeff Lysiak A t only 24, Whitney Wolanin has earned the crown Queen of Holiday Hits. Last year, the talented singer/songwriter from Sanibel scored a Billboard charting hit with her interpretation of Run, Run Rudolph to go along with a music video of that song which parodied the family favor­ ite film A Christmas Story. In 2012, her version of Frosty The Snowman reached #13 on the Billboard adult contemporary chart. So it should come as no surprise that this year, Wolanin took another holiday classic - Silver Bells - and gave it a con­ temporary spin all her own. "Silver Bells is one of my favorite Plate of holiday cookies Christmas songs of all time,” said Wolanin, Singer/songwriter Whitney Wolanin, who who was spending the Thanksgiving holi­ grew up on Sanibel, will be performing a Holly & Ivy Bazaar December 5 day at home on Sanibel with her parents. holiday fundraiser at BIG ARTS’ Schein Hall he Holly & Ivy Bazaar will be held on Friday, December 5 from noon to 9 p.m. “Traditionally, the song is kinda slow, so on December 13 I wanted to make it more uptempo. It's a in the Fellowship Hall at Sanibel Community Church. The guild ladies have cre­ really fun Christmas song with lots of great imagery. T ated many handcrafted Christmas items that will adorn the tables at this continued on page 32 continued on page 40 BIG ARTS Community Chorus To Perform Musical Tribute To Sanibel W hen Mike Bugler hears the Sanibel BIG ARTS Community Chorus sing I saw Twelve Dolphins Dancing in the final verse of his hilarious Sanibel 12 Days of Christmas, it w on’t be the first time he will feel the joy of hav­ ing created a unique and special experi­ ence for people in his audience. The cho­ rus will perform Bugler’s musical tribute to Sanibel on December 9 in Schein Hall at the annual BIG ARTS Community Chorus Holiday Concert. Bugler has always had a creative streak but he tells the story of how he “found his muse” and started writing silly poems when he was a young junior manager. His Hallmark Cards boss apologized for being Kinga Augustyn Kinga as a child “a little late” to tell Burgler he had been selected to give a response to the senior Special Engagement manager's ! losing addtess m the sales force LM at a conference in the IJK . Bugler had 20 With Violin Virtuoso minutes to prepare, and was not naturally “comfortable on the podium." Mike Bugler ith a program that showcases the range of what the violin can do, Kinga W Suddenly, as he tells it, he “heard a Augustyn will exhibit her own amazing range of talent in a concert at BIG cadence” in his head and started fitting words of poetic natter about some of the antics ARTS. The skillful and emotive violinist will perform a mix of familiar and of the attendees at the conference to that rhythm. Figuring he had nothing to lose, he lesser-known pieces for violin, including works by composers from her native Poland. stood and delivered this piece of rhyming gossip and brought the house down. He never The concert will take place at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, December 7 in Phillips Gallery continued on page 28 continued on page 40 t h e D ^ eS S a v e Come join Lily & Co. as we “ ring” in the I >»;> Holiday SeasonI V \ 'm I S EU, SPECIAL COCKTAIL RECEPTION MEET FAMED DESIGNER CHARLES KRYPELL >1 J NOVEMBER 29th > 5-9 PM JEWELERS Be Dazzled VOTED C0 e f e t ® / E L R Y STORE IN THE NATION 520 TARPON BAY ROAD I ACROSS FROM BAILEY'S LILYJEWELERS.COM I 239.472.2888 final approval. At that public hearing Keeping the applicant will have to show, to the satisfaction of the city council, that there Sanibel Special is a demonstrated need for the services to be provided that exceeds the capability of Since 1975 existing tour bus operators. submitted by Jim Beauchamp, Segways Presiaent, Committee of The Islands When the state legislature passed a law that preempted Sanibel's prohibition W OW, What a summer! Let your of unsupervised individual use of Segways opinion be heard. City council on the city's shared use paths and roads, decisions shape Sanibel's future the city council began taking steps to The city council, with lots of encour­ comply. COTI argued that the safety of agement from COTI leaders, members Sanibel's citizens and guests should come and friends, made key decisions that will first and urged that an effort be made to help Keep Sanibel Special, Many COTI have the state law changed before it au­ members and friends, who responded thorized the use of Segways by individu­ to our email alerts, helped influence the als in our city. Members of city council, positive council decisions as summarized heard our message and placed the matter below. on '‘hold” while state legislative options Historical Village past president Alex Werner still runs the Special Tours program tor the vil­ Buses are being considered. lage. He is seen here during a Road Scholar (Elderhostel) tour, showing the group some COTI had been working for some time Architectural Standards for Re­ points of interest. to restrict the use of commercial buses sort Redevelopment on Sanibel. On August 5, city council, Again, reasoned thinking and prec­ Elderhostel Visits Historical Village adopted an ordinance that, with limited edent from earlier work on commercial A group of more than 30 people from the Elderhostel group (now called Road exceptions, prohibits any bus or van with redevelopment was effective as standards Scholars) toured the Sanibel Historical Museum & Village last week with past a capacity of more than 10 passengers for resort redevelopment are now being president Alex Werner. Each year, approximately 375 Road Scholars tour the from parking, loading or unloading on written. village under its Special Tours program. the city’s four beach parking lots. We Floating Docks The relationship began in the late 1990s as part of Elderhostel tour visits to Sanibel welcome this conclusion, as it will greatly A new state law allows floating docks and Fort Myers places of interest. It was temporarily suspended at the museum in reduce the number of large buses that are statewide. Council approved a permitting the early 2000s and then re-instituted in 2004. At that time, Ja i Earle of the City of coming on Sanibel and the overcrowding process for any floating dock structure to Sanibel, who was assigned to the museum to coordinate volunteers, asked Historical on our beaches. provide some city control over design and Preservation Board member Werner to lead Elderhostel tours at the village. Since that Educational/ Sightseeing Bus safety. time, the tours have grown from three to four per season, organized by Barry Univer­ Tours on Sanibel Dark Skies sity in Miami, to more than 16 this year. Currently, the Road Scholar tours are being Council has introduced a “daunting” The original proposal to delay imple­ organized at the Road Scholar home base for the nonprofit in Boston, Massachusetts. application process for any new bus tour mentation for five years was reduced to Typically, a group of between 15 (minimum) and 40 people sign up for the week operation. Should an applicant complete a more reasonable three years, thanks to on Sanibel, staying in a local Sanibel resort. From there, they go on tours around the the process, council will schedule an the many comments council received continued on page 12 opportunity for public comment before continued on page 15 M a k e H is t o r y T h is C h r is t m a s W it h a G if t T h e y ’l l T r e a s u r e Join us fo r C ^O W ’s 2014 H o C C y (BaCC the Sanctuary C jo C f CCu6 Sunday, Decern 6er 14 @ 6:00 pm Cocktails • 'H o r s &oeuvres (Fine <Dining • CocfyaiCJQttire L iv e music from (Pocket Change Live Ju nction • (R a f f (e Tor ticket or sponsor information contact Lighthouse and Calusa Ornaments by Luc Century Pine Needle Baskets by Gisela Damandl James ^Binson at 239-472-3644 ext. 227 or Sailors’ Valentines by Jim and Rose Prestigiacomo jr o 6tnson@crowcCinic. org Sponsored by: SANI8EL: CAPTIVA T r u s t C o m p a n y Sanibel Historical Museum & Village 950 Dunlop Rd., Sanibel 239-472-4648 • Open Wed-Sat 10-4 Museum Admission $10 for Adults • Gift Shop Only Free 4 ISLAND SUN - N O VEM BER 28, 2014 Looking Back: Belton Johnson Belton Johnson, pictured, was born in Arcadia and was five years old when his family moved to Sanibel in 1901. The Johnson family fished and were farmers of their 12-acre plot. When the hurricane of 1921 destroyed their farm, Belton turned to fishing and eventually became a guide. In 1942 (at 46 years old) he married Miriam. In 1948, after the hurricane in 1945 destroyed their first house, they built a house just north of ‘Tween Waters Inn, Captiva.