WHATS PLAYING ... Page 3B I OUT W ABOUT — EXPLORING SANIBEL THIS WEEK. BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID SANIBEL, FL PERMIT #33 OSTAL PATRON MMMILJ Vol. 36, No. 31 Friday, August 1,1997 Two Sections, 40 Pages 50 Cents Tills Sense of Place Week Ernest Does Spring Break Our roving reporter visits the Key West Hemingway Days. 2A Taxes Raised Sanibel City Council accepts — for now — a 21.5 percent increase in city taxes. 3A Rising Star Arts editor Frank Wagner interviews Sanibel's Liz Abbott. 1B Dining Out Some restaurants are planning some major changes during this lazy, crazy summer. ;....9B River Journal Columnist Betty Anholt runs into humidy and anhingas on the Sanibel River. 1B Classifieds 16A Commentary 13A Environment 14A Fishing/Shelling 10B "FrontPage" 3A Island Dining 9B IslandEye 6A Night Life 8B Outside/Recreation 1 IB Permits and Deeds 19A Police Beat 12A Service Director)' 20B Show Biz 15 Tide chart .2B Gidfside City Park, formerly Algiers Beach, is a very special spot full of history, recreational opportunties and interesting habitat, so it Have A Great Week! makes for a good focus in this continuing series on the islands' Sense of Place. Photo/Jill Tyrer. 2A ' August 1, 1997 - ISLANDER ISLANDER -Friday, August 1, 1997 • 3A Key West celebrates Hemingway Daze The front Page Ernest does Spring Break? Council accepts 21.5 percent tax increase — for now By Carlene Brennen ByJILLTYRER As the meeting went on with no sign of have not been convinced that we need to raise taxes." Promoters did indeed throw a giant street Islander staff writer concensus some councilmen showed signs of frus- Madison made a motion to adopt the rollback party last weekend in Key West called They eliminated expenses, they added expenses tration. Councilman George Madison was adamant rate, but no one even seconded his motion. His sen- Hemingway Days but it looked more like Ernest and city councilmen still ended up with a tentative about holding to the rollback rate, arguing that money timents got support from people in the audience, but does Spring Break. property tax rate that might raise property taxes. that trickles in through the year could help fund some other councilmen weren't as determined to meet the The high energy sound of the countless rock After meeting the rollback rate for the past five of the projects that initially had to be cut. rollback rate. and roll bands blasted into the hot humid air of years, City Council settled Tuesday on a proposed "Whenever you tax people, the burden is on "We have, in the past, and continue to approach Duval Street while hundreds of young adults rate of 2.5745 mills. That's about 21.5 percent higher those who tax to prove the need to tax," Madison rollback rate as if it was a fetish," said Councilman than last year's rate of 2.1182 mills and about 24 said. "That burden has not been met.... We will have Wally Kain. "We're not in a crisis." Meeting roll- partied throughout the night. The bookstores percent higher than 2.0693, the rollback rate. The many opportunities to fund worthy programs as new back rate is not a measure of success, he said. The were as popular as the local mortuary. Pages of rollback rate is the millage rate it would take to gen- income arrives. ... We are not throwing all this out measure of good government is being able to take great authors' works remained unturned. Bikini- erate the same amount of revenue that the City took by meeting the rollback rate," Madison said. "What advantage of opportunities that arise — such as the clad women proudly displayed their tattooed art. in last year in ad valorem taxes. we' re saying is we have to reorder priorities.... I just (Continued, page 20A) Street vendors peddled everything from home- made jewelry, freshly squeezed exotic fruit drinks to photo opportunities with a giant yellow snake. Bleary-eyed beggars sat in the shade of store AmeriCorps fronts asking for handouts while dozens of jolly, white-bearded men resembling Ernest Hemingway in his advancing years competed in to disappear the 17th Annual Sloppy Joes' Bar Look Alike Contest. They drank beer, signed autographs, and posed for pictures, enjoying their weekend of from SW Florida celebrity status. Bart Bartou from Deerfield Beach took home the honors for 1997. Some dis- gruntled contestants felt the event was rigged but environment were still willing to try again next year now that ByANNEBELLEW the group has formed the Hemingway Look Alike Islander staff writer Society under the guidelines of president Fred On July 17, national parks, national wildlife Johnson of Dade County. refuges and other Fish & Wildlife Service offices in A crowd gathered on the main street to wit- the Southwest Florida and Rio Grande ecosystems ness the first Sloppy Joe's Running of the Bulls, were notified by the Student Conservation Associa- complete with a 1,000-pound steer from a pet- tion that the Corporation for National Service did ting zoo. The event should have been named not renew the AmeriCorps grant for 1998. Conse- "strolling with the bulls" as a dozen older, quently, the SCA/Department of the Interior bearded papas walked slowly around the block AmeriCorps program will cease to exist on Dec. 31. with wooden bulls on wheels, in the heat of the SCA is the nation's oldest and largest conser- vation association. Based in Charlestown, N.H., it noon day sun. has administered the AmeriCorps grant from the A few hundred Hemingway supporters CNS, which also administers the Peace Corps, for crowded into the gardens of the Hemingway the past three years. This year, although much of the House and Museum last Friday night for the work AmeriCorps does is educational in nature, CNS Twilight Party and Costume Competition. The has issued a commentary saying that the funds should The 1997 group of AmeriCorps workers in Lee and Collier Counties. burger-fries-and-rib tent stood next to the rock be used to target youth and literacy. band stage and the giant banyan tree Ernest had "What do they think we were doing?" said flora vs native plants and habitat at I-don't-know- classrooms. There's no way she can be replaced next planted in 1931. Stacks of empty cups and food Layne Hamilton, assistant manager of the J.N. how-many school career days, as well as organized year, according to Ellen Lindblad, CREW's execu- wrappers were left discarded on the window sills "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, who ad- and conducted two teacher workshops at the refuge tive director. of the historic house and stone porch leading to ministers the program for Lee and Collier Counties. for 53 teachers." At the Corkscrew>Regional Eco- "In addition," Hamilton went on, "this past year the poolhouse, now a gift shop situated below "AmeriCorps conducts 90 percent of.the environmen- system Watershed (CREW), Lisa Earhart reached our AmeriCorps staff conducted 25 percent of all the the studio where the Pulitzer and Nobel Prize tal ed program for the refuge, programs that reached 1,300 kids on field trips and another 1,000 in their (Continued, page 4A) over 2,500 students this year. Lori Haynes provided winning author wrote some of his most famous information on manatees, the Everglades and exotic novels. The newly expanded museum gift shop had shelves stocked with Hemingway novels and Top: Duval Street was filled with Ernest Hemingway look-alikes. Above right: Hemingway Days included a running biographies as well as unlicensed Hemingway of the bulls —with a wooden bull. Above left: Young and old partied throughout the night. Photos/Carlene Brennen. gift items including coffee'mugs, posters, pho- The promoters of this year's Key West beer erty with an iron gate to keep the public out. The Islander goes ... all island! tographs from private collections, greeting cards bash announced plans to continue the street party The city now belongs to the cruise ships, By Scott Martell your free weekly newspaper. too. A community newspaper is not a bunch of people and refrigerator magnets. Lorian Hemingway, the next year, complete with a 5-kilometer run and a The Hard Rock Cafe, Ripley's Believe It or Not, "out there" trying to foist something on someone. great mans' granddaughter who has lived a life Islander Editor We're very excited about presenting the Is- literary event, but without the support of Ernest Margueritaville and Planet Hollywood, which re- As of today, the Sanibel-Captiva Islander will lander to you each week. As the islands' longest pub- It's a living, dynamic entity that relies on readers to almost as colorful as his, chose to stay in Key Hemingway's sons and most family members. centfy opened on Duval Street. The iguana man, be mailed to all island residents each week. lishing newspaper, since 1961, we take our commu- talk back and forth, to each other and to us — either West against her family's wishes, and Saturday Key West no longer represents the sleepy the sword swallower and the tight-rope walker But we need your help. Please return the post- nity journalism seriously. in print or not. One way you can do this right away night she announced the winner of her short story little town Ernest and Pauline yisited in 1928 — have become commonplace on this coral rock age-paid form on the front of this publication. Your A newspaper can be the voice and conciousness is by filling out the questionnaire included on the contest.