MEGHAN EASTERLY

Kerry Fagan likes to cook and she loves to create. Her recipes at Kerry’s Cafe pull together decades of family knowledge from her Irish, German, Russian and Ukrainian heritage. She sprinkles in a bit of her passion for Italian, Mediterranean ...

Mary Pazell didn’t used to have a favorite store. For Pazell, a baby boomer who splits her time between Florida and Missouri, clothes just weren’t fun for her anymore. Then, she happened to walk into a new store in the ...

Since 1977, the The Greater Marco Family YMCA has been a part of most Islander’s lives. The island children learn to swim from Miss Dottie and fill to capacity the after school and summer camp programs. Island adults stay active ...

If you let the ocean breeze guide you to the northern tip of Marco Island you will find a piece of the past in the form of the Shops of Olde Marco. Tucked away on Royal Palm Drive, the collection ...

Living on an Island the size of Marco Island, sometimes makes one feel as if they know every shop, every nook and everything the island has to offer. That is why it is such a pleasure to stumble upon something ...

The dogs of Marco Island were on parade Tuesday at the Canine Parade. This Christmas Island Style event was the first ever to be dedicated to the four-legged residents of Marco Island. “So may people on the island have dogs,” ...

The art of Esau Rodriguez is dark, yet comical. In his vibrant oil paintings, skeletons wear masks and smoke cigarettes, keeping company with dark, beautiful, tattooed women. Animals take on human characteristics and subjects are often involved in parodies mocking ...

When Lillian Mead was 19, she found her niche in life. She lived in a small town in Connecticut where W.T. Grants had a large store. “I didn’t want to go to work, but the neighbor across the road asked ...

A group of children surrounded Linda Detzel as she plunged her hands into the large touch tank at Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve on Saturday and pulled out live conchs, starfish and other animals that can be found in ...

Marco Island is a little quieter this week without the voice of Marion Blomeier. The local legend, entertainer and philanthropist passed away on Sept. 16 at the age of 87. She was known as Lady Christmas by many but most ...

For 185 days, Petty Officer Third Class Drew E. Gowdey shared a ship with 6,000 people as the U.S.S. Enterprise celebrated its 50th year at sea. Construction on the Enterprise was completed 1958 and it was commissioned in 1961 as ...

The Marco Island Lakeside Inn is under new management this month after it was purchased by Beachtree Properties on Aug. 5. Lakeside becomes the 11th property of Beachtree which has boutique hotels scattered throughout the United States. Manager of Beachtree ...

When “Disco” Dave Bierbrauer was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in October 2008, doctors gave him six to 18 months to live. Nearly three years later, Disco Dave turned 56 on Aug. 19. Anyone who’s life has been ...

For 15 years, Joey’s Pizza and Pasta House has been sharing their love of food and family with Marco Island. The look of the restaurant has changed through the years, but the food and the family friendly atmosphere has remained ...

Porky’s Last Stand knows that everyone loves a party. That’s why this summer they began themed Friday night parties that take place every week from 8 to 10 p.m.

Summer is coming to a close and CJ’s on the Bay is having a good old-fashioned barbecue to celebrate. The air of Marco Island will be filled with the mouth watering smell of barbecue as the Grillin’ and Chillin’ Chef’s ...

The cool, under-the-sea ambiance of Guy Harvey’s Island Grill is a perfect escape from the heat of August in Southwest Florida. Sitting amongst the 800-gallon tanks full of colorful tropical fish, Guy Harvey’s is like diving under the cool, blue ...

It’s been just over one year since the 22-year-old U.S. Army Pfc. lost both of his legs and the digits from his left hand after stepping on an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Afghanistan. He spent the first six months ...

There was an air of friendly competition at the Carlisle in Naples last week as residents participated in the retirement community’s annual Summer Olympics. The event included both physical and mental challenges that tested the abilities of the teams involved.

As a paddle boarder gently glides through the peaceful, early morning sea, a dolphin swims by to say hello. The only sound is the quite rhythm of the Gulf of Mexico, the lap of the water on the board and ...

For many members of the military, the VFW is a place where they can find camaraderie on home soil. Commander Scott Cline of VFW Post 4254 in Bonita Springs calls the Post a place where veterans can come to relax ...

As Brian Penn prepares to deploy to Afghanistan he will be leaving behind a group of co-workers that he says feel more like family. He has spent the last two years working as a host at CJ’s on the Bay ...

John Martunas has recently stepped into Cathy O’Clarkes Irish Pub & Grille to revolutionize their menu. He can be found in the kitchen every day for lunch and dinner preparing his creations and handing out orders to his kitchen staff. ...

Some kids are born sports stars, while others have a passion for music. But one local girl was born an entrepreneur.

The restaurant achieves their authentic Irish menu with a mix of good recipes collected from family and friends, and the use of good, whole, ingredients

When Bonita Springs resident Pam Reno received an invitation to the royal wedding, she couldn’t believe it. One minute she was relaxing at her home in Imperial Harbor, the next she was on a plane first class to London and ...

Spammy Jammy 2011 kicked off with sculptures - made out of the canned meat of course - with names like "One Small Step for Man," "Spamectomy" and "FrangiSpami" at Goodland's Little Bar Saturday night.

The air was permeated by the delicious scent of smoking shark at CJ’s on the Bay Tuesday as people gathered for the “Loco for the Locals” Luau. Guests were arrayed in festive attire ranging from Hawaiian shirts to grass skirts ...

The ghost bikes — as they are called — are placed by anonymous people in the middle of the night. The bikes are always painted white, stripped of their gears and labeled with signs that say “cyclist killed” and printed ...

“We have 53 wines available by the glass,” says Kevin Donlan, manager of Zinful. “Everyone thought this would be a great place, there is nothing like it on Marco.”

CJ’s is kicking off summer for the locals, island style on Tuesday, June 21, from 6 to 8 p.m.. Chef Laura Owens says she wanted to spice up life a little, so she will be roasting a shark. That’s right, ...

Wilfredo Rico sat building a puzzle with his wife Claudia beside the pool at the Naples Beach Hotel on Saturday, May 28. He smiled and took a long, slow, relaxing breath as he watched his children playing in the pool. ...

Residents of the Carlisle Naples believe that good grades merit rewards. So each year, the retirement community clients travel to the Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens with a bus full of Sabal Palm Elementary School students who have excelled academically ...

>Guests at the Center for the Arts of Bonita Springs will be taking paintings off the walls, pulling sculptures from stands, taking jewelry from displays and carrying home valuables of all types next week during Off the Walls.

During the day the Main Gallery at the Art League of Bonita Springs is filled with visitors studying artwork on the walls. In the evening much different visitors tiptoe into the gallery wearing ballet slippers and leotards, eager to learn ...

Those who have attended the Bonita Springs National Art Festival know they can expect to see complex work by accomplished artists. They also know they can see a lot of it. The festival comes to the Promenade at Bonita Bay ...

Art patrons may often wish they could pull pieces right off the wall of the gallery to take home. Last week at the Art League, they did just that.

This holiday season there are events to entertain all ages at the Art League of Bonita Spring.

Artists from four continents and a dozen countries filled the Promenade at Bonita Bay with dance, music and visual art on Saturday, Nov. 21 at Arts Worldwide.

Who knows what artist lies within waiting to be unleashed from those who have never held a brush, molded clay or stood at center stage?

Who knows what artist lies within waiting to be unleashed from those who have never held a brush, molded clay or stood at center stage.

November is here, and although there isn’t a crisp, cool, nip in the Florida air, there is an anticipation of the upcoming holidays.

What does it mean to be an artist?

Just in time for Halloween comes a delightfully squeamish show that will have children and adults cringing with laughter.

A kaleidoscope of light dances across a strand of cypress trees and shimmers off the tannic water at their bases. There is a reverent silence accompanied by the distant call of a bird or a pine cone softly dropping onto ...

In Florida, water abounds, but we can't always see what lives beneath the surface. Luckily, the Sunshine State is home to amazing aquariums where all things marine are on show. Whether you get your kicks watching animals in a near-natural ...

If you're looking to skip out of town for a few days, then why not party it up in the Crescent City? Although devastated by Hurricane Katrina just a few months ago, the spirit of New Orleans cannot be kept ...

There's a place in town where a lobster caught yesterday in Maine can be on your plate today. Where a comedian you saw on Comedy Central will appear onstage before you. Where an executive chef will prepare the fish you ...

The county fair is as American as blue ribbon-winning apple pie. At the Collier County Fair, opening at 5 p.m. this Friday, the public will find traditions (livestock judging) and a few twists (Fair Idol — presumably like American Idol ...

Dance springs from the soul as an expression of many things — emotion, thought, expression and personality. One company takes all of these things, combines cutting-edge choreography, virtuoso dancers, and a repertoire pulled from a long history of dance movements ...