Estero Village Manager Steve Sarkozy will provide a detailed presentation of Estero’s response to the FEMA Hurricane Ian compliance issue at the council meeting on Wednesday, June 19, at 9:30 a.m.
Council meetings are held at the Village Hall Council Chambers, 9401 Corkscrew Palms Circle, near the Estero Park entrance.
Residents are invited to attend or view this meeting via the website: estero-fl.gov/meetings/. Residents can also access the response documents on the village website estero-fl.gov/fema-operational-audit/.
Bonita invites the public to the Star-Spangled Bonita event
The City of Bonita Springs invites the public to its annual Star-Spangled Bonita Fourth of July 2024 event. The celebration will take place on Thursday, July 4, at downtown Bonita Springs Riverside Park, 10450 Reynolds St., Bonita Springs.
The events begin at 9 a.m. with the annual parade hosted by the Bonita Springs Professional Firefighters Local 3444. The theme of this year’s parade is America the Beautiful. The parade takes place along Old 41.
The festivities for Star Spangled Bonita 2024 begin at 6:00 PM and include musical entertainment performed by “The Ben Allen Band.” To end the evening there is a 48-minute drone, fireworks and laser light show.
Entrance is free. There will be food and drinks for sale, with proceeds from drink sales going to the Bonita Springs Rotary Club. Guests are encouraged to leave their coolers and their pets at home. Tents are not allowed in the park after 8:00 PM
On July 4, there will be road closures on Old 41 Road for the morning parade. The first closure, starting at Rosemary Drive and ending at Kentucky Street, will take place at 8:30 a.m. The road will reopen after the parade and will remain open until 5 p.m. Wilson Street to Childers Street at Old 41 Road will close again for festivities at 5 p.m. in the evening to ensure pedestrian safety. After the event, the road will reopen around 10 p.m
Sunshine Ace Hardware organizes ‘100 Party’
Sunshine Ace Hardware is hosting a free, family-friendly 100th Anniversary Block Party to commemorate Ace Hardware’s founding a century ago. Held in Bonita Springs, it has an Old Florida Roaring ’20s theme and includes antique cars, free food, drinks, games, activities and live music.
Gator Nate, known for his ‘Florida swamp music’, will give a free concert. At Big Green Egg, Chef Shannon Morgan, aka the Big Green Egg Foodie, serves 1920s-style grilled oysters Rockefeller and pineapple upside-down cake.
For children and families, Wonder Gardens organizes a pop-up Exotic Animal Encounter with meet-and-greets with animal ambassadors. Jenga, Connect 4, cornhole and other games will highlight an activity station with giveaways for kids.
The signature Ace Celebrations 100 Party will be held from 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, June 29, at Sunshine Ace Hardware, 9100 Bonita Beach Road in Bonita Springs.
All other Sunshine Ace Hardware stores in Southwest Florida will celebrate this milestone with a 100th Anniversary Block Party featuring free grilled food from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. For a complete list of store locations, visit SunshineAce.com/sunshine-locations.
Sunshine Ace Hardware recently announced plans to open a new store in Naples’ Pelican Bay, just miles from where the company opened its first location 65 years ago.
The new store will occupy approximately 20,000 square feet of The Marketplace at Pelican Bay and, together with Publix, anchor the commercial shopping center. The space was previously home to Stein Mart, which closed in 2020.
Shoppers at the Pelican Bay store can enjoy separate commercial paint, grilling and fishing departments, as well as a wide selection of power and hand tools, hardware, lawn and garden supplies, plumbing, propane, gifts and do-it-yourself supplies.
“Our team has been eyeing this region of North Naples for years and we are excited about bringing a new store closer to our loyal commercial and residential customers in this area,” said Michael Wynn, president of Sunshine Ace Hardware. “The response to our newest store in Founders Square has been incredible, and we anticipate a similar response once the Pelican Bay store officially opens.”
Last year, Sunshine Ace Hardware opened a new store in Founders Square, also in North Naples. In August, the local company announced plans to open Ave Maria’s first hardware store in 2024.
Once construction is complete on the Ave Maria and Pelican Bay stores, Sunshine Ace Hardware will have 12 locations in Collier, Lee, Charlotte and Pinellas counties.
Sports Challenge America is hosting a tasting event
Grumpy Goat Coffee’s Wandering Goat summer series of roving tastings arrives Thursday, June 27 at Sports Challenge America at 28120 Race Track Rd., Bonita Springs. Participants can meet their local coffee roaster, artisan food and drink experts and experience games at the family-friendly multi-sport entertainment venue from 4:30pm to 7:30pm.
Sport Challenge America will open a bowling alley and sports simulator bay for people to experience, and their restaurant, Teed Up, will serve samples of their menu items for tasting.
In addition, Grumpy Goat Coffee, Kristi’s Key Lime Cookies, Flèche Healthy Treats and Olde Naples Chocolate will offer complimentary tastings including gourmet coffee, cookies, chocolates, sugar-free treats and bar bites. Complimentary massages are provided by Trinity Wellness.
The Wandering Goat event roams the businesses of Bonita Springs all summer long. The tastings are open to the public.
Celebrate the summer solstice at the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
Celebrate the summer solstice at the sanctuary with an evening of wellness and nature activities on June 20. From 5 p.m., visitors can enjoy a variety of activities on the boardwalk, including nature journaling and Yoga Flow and meditative workshop (separate registration required), and watch sunset at 8:21 p.m.
In addition, hammocks will be set up for relaxation along the way, as well as an interpretation table on nocturnal animals. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for children ages 6 to 12, and free for children under six and Corkscrew members.
More at corkscrew.audubon.org/visit.
Estero’s Tebbe named to University of Iowa Dean’s List
Grant Tebbe of Estero, FL, was one of more than 7,650 University of Iowa students on the dean’s list for the spring 2024 semester.
Tebbe is a third-year student at the Iowa College of Engineering majoring in Mechanical Engineering.
Dean’s list status was earned by 1,063 first-year students during the 2023 spring semester at Iowa, 1,752 second-year students, 2,041 third-year students and 2,807 fourth-year students.
Guidelines for inclusion on the list include a GPA of 3.50 or higher in 12 semester hours or more.
More Now you know: Commissioners are including Bonita Beach in nutrition efforts
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Now You Know: Estero’s FEMA response, a block party; Bonita’s fourth
