What s Happening in the Everglades City Area

Transcription

1 A T I D E T A B L E R E S T A U R A N T S 25 The MULLET RAPPER What s Happening in the Everglades City Area AUGUST 17-30, , Snook Publications P O Box 617, Everglades City, FL, Volume VI Issue #166 Another wonderful week of Tennis Camp for our youth, thanks to Coach Denny Rager of the Players Club & Spa at Lely Resorts. On the last day, they were treated to lunch at the Seafood Depot and the players were given new shoes. Photos thanks to Helen Bryan who worked so hard at the camp. CONTENTS Calendar p. 2 Living Gulf Coast p. 8 Events p. 3 Museum News p. 9 School p. 5 Book Review p. 9 Recipe p. 7 Jeff s Story p. 9 Angel p. 7 Sheriff s Report p.10 FWC News p. 8 Florida Tales p.10 Florida Flora p. 8 Glades Daze p.10 TIDES & RESTAURANTS p.11 CLASSIFIED p.12 FEATURE: Tribute to Fran p.11 CITY COUNCIL REPORT by Marya Repko Mayor Sammy Hamilton welcomed everyone back after the summer break at the meeting on August 7 and said that he spent his vacation on negotiations to improve our water. He is also talking to FEMA and the State about storm damage to our roads. Lt. Mark Milligan introduced Chief Scott Salley, president of Drug Free Collier and CCSO Chief of Corrections. The Chief praised Lt. Mark and Sue Gentry, saying it s phenomenal what they do in this area. He reminded us that National Night Out (that evening) was a way to show the community that law enforcement personnel are human. He said Collier is the safest County in Florida and then introduced two young interns. Lt. Mark thanked Brenda Brown for her work with Little League and Pastor Fross for his help with Build-a-Chair. He reported that CCSO had leads from the community in recent incidents: a vehicle burglary off Janes Scenic Drive in which the keys were left in the vehicle and a burglary at the Seafood Depot Restaurant in which a firearm was taken from a vehicle. Sue Gentry presented a slide show of kids activities this summer including Hot Summer Nights, Summer Camp excursions, Build-a-Boat, Build-a-Chair. John M. Wilson, in Public Comment, said that someone was defacing signs with black spray paint. The next meeting will be on Thursday, September 13, at 5:30 p.m. in City Hall and will hear the first reading of the budget. The second reading will be on Tuesday, September 18. There will be a budget summary in the next Rapper. PRIMARY ELECTION RESULTS In the Republican Party Primary on August 14, Tim Nance defeated Jim Coletta as candidate for the Collier County Commission District 5 seat and will contest Democrat John Robinhood Lundin at the General Election on November 6. Donna Fiala retained her nomination for the Commission District 1 seat and faces Russell Kish (non-party) in November. Other results are: Dwight Brock, Clerk of Courts Abe Skinner, Property Appraiser Larry Ray, Tax Collector Kevin Rambosk, Sheriff (opposed in General Election, November 6) The turnout in our two local precincts (#102 and #502) was 194 ballots cast by 680 registered voters (28%). For detailed results, see If you have news, photos, announcements, or articles... mulletrapper@gmail.com or phone

2 SUN MON TUES WED THURS FRI SAT AUG Hour of Prayer Chokokoloskee Church of God 7 pm OFCD Board Hour of Prayer Holy Family Catholic Church 7 pm Back to School Hour of Prayer Everglades Community Church 7 pm 2 Butcher Muck-About MPO Meeting Labor Day 3 Hour of Prayer Copeland Baptist Church 7 pm Butcher Muck-About 9 10 Hour of Prayer Chokokoloskee Church of God 7 pm OFCD Board Booster Club AUGUST/SEPTEMBER Primary Election 21 TDC Meeting 15 Ladies Coffee Island Café 8 am 22 Ladies Coffee City Seafood 8 am Ladies Coffee Island Café 8 am 4 5 Ladies Coffee City Seafood 8 am FME Mtg 3:30 pm see p Ladies Coffee Island Café 8 am 30 Drug Aware Meeting BigC ORVs SAC see p.5 13 City Council see p.1 new moon RAPPER MPO Meeting School Walk-Thru see p BigC Hunting Deadline full moon 31 RAPPER Oct 9: Voter Registration Deadline Nov 6: General Election Nov 7: BigC ORVs Dec 8: Art-in-the-Glades SEPT 1 Butcher Muck-About Pet Vet RAPPER THRIFT SHOP: Closed for August DR DEMARTINO: By appointment only, call office FOOD PANTRY: Sat, 8:30-10:30 am, Community Church AL-ANON: Thurs, 12 noon, Community Church MUSEUM: Tues-Fri; 9:00 am to 5:00 pm; Sat; 9:00 am to 4:00 pm SKATING RINK: Fri, Sat; 7-10 pm LITTLE GATOR CLINIC: Closed for the Summer AA: Wed, 5:00 pm, Community Church NA: Sat, 11:30 am, Community Center (Skating Rink) SMALLWOOD STORE: Daily; 11 am to 4 pm SHERIFF AT CITY HALL: Fri, 8/17 (10-11 am) Tues, 8/21 (10-11 am) Thurs, 8/23 (10-11 am) Mon, 8/27 (10-11 am) Fri, 8/31 (10-11 am) SHERIFF: CITY HALL: PUBLIC LIBRARY: CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: AIRPORT: FAKAHATCHEE: BIG CYPRESS: NATIONAL PARK: CURBSIDE TRASH PICKUP (FRIDGES, WASHING MACHINES, TVS): COLLIER COUNTY: mulletrapper@gmail.com PAGE 2

3 MPO Meetings The Collier County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is meeting on Friday, August 17, at 9:00 a.m. in the Commissioners chambers to adopt amendments to the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The public comment period ends on August 26. For info, visit or see a copy of the drafts at Everglades City Hall. There will also be a public meeting on Monday, August 27, at 5:30 p.m. at 2800 Horseshoe Drive, Naples, to discuss with state and federal authorities how the MPO operates. For info, call TDC Meeting The Collier County Tourist Development Council (TDC) will meet at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 21, in the County Manager s front conference room at Government Center in Naples. For info, call Jack Wert at BigC Hunting Deadline The National Park Service (NPS), with FWC and FWS, has released a revised draft Hunting Management Plan/ Environmental Assessment for Big Cypress National Preserve. Written comments are requested by Friday, August 24. For details, see BUTCHER MUCK-ABOUT Happy Birthday, Clyde! Big Cypress Gallery is excited about their special Labor Day Weekend Open House this year it will be Clyde Butcher s 70 th Birthday! To help celebrate, visit on Saturday or Sunday, September 1-2, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for party favors and cookies. Some of Clyde s new photos will be on display and he will be in the Gallery in Ochopee to meet guests and sign books. You can also go on a Swamp Walk that weekend through the peaceful subtropical flora behind the Gallery. For info and reservations, see or phone OCHOPEE FIRE CONTROL DISTRICT 08/01/12: Fire Alarm, Ochopee 08/01/12: Emergency Medical, Port of Islands 08/01/12: Emergency Medical, Everglades City 08/02/12: Fire Alarm, Port of the Islands 08/12/12: Power Line Down, SR-29 and I-75 08/03/12: Brush Fire, Everglades City 08/04/12: Brush Fire, Ochopee 08/05/12: Emergency Medical, 51 MM I-75 08/07/12: Vehicle Accident, 58 MM I-75 08/07/12: Emergency Medical, Everglades City 08/08/12: Emergency Medical, Ochopee 08/09/12: Fire Alarm, Port of the Islands 08/11/12: Emergency Medical, 63 MM I-75 Ochopee Fire Control District Advisory Board will meet Monday, September 10, at Port of the Islands at 4:00 p.m. DOCTOR S CLINIC Dr. Kirk DeMartino of Marco Island will see patients in ECity on Fridays by appointment only. You can contact him at (239) MOBILE PET VET Dr. Lopez will visit to Everglades City on Saturday, September 8, at McLeod Park from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Residents may take their pets to his office in Naples. For more information and appointments, please phone him at 777-PETS (7387) or visit Drug Awareness Meeting The CCSO will be hosting a Community Awareness Meeting on Synthetic Drugs, August 30, 12 noon to 1:30 pm and again at 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm. This presentation is intended to help the public identify this emerging drug trend; offer prevention tips/resources and coordinate community efforts to address this issue. To reserve your spot, RSVP to (239) or to info@drugfreecollier.org. BigC ORVs The Off-Road Vehicle Advisory Committee will meet on Thursday, August 30, at the Big Cypress Swamp Welcome Center, Tamiami Trail East, Ochopee, from 3:30 to 8:00 p.m. For more info, phone or visit WinCar August Hours WinCar Hardware is open in August but with shorter hours: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Monday through Saturday. Flamingo Boat Ramps Repairs are being made to the Boat Ramps in Flamingo by the National Park Service. There will be limited access until around September 1. For info, call See the Rapper in full color! Visit our website. The Collier County Sheriff s Office had a cookout in Copeland during National Night Out on August 7. Photos thanks to Sue Gentry. mulletrapper@gmail.com PAGE 3

4 Daily Weekly Monthly Rentals River Wilderness WATERFRONT VILLAS FREE WI-FI - SCREEN PORCH - CANOES SWIMMING POOL - BOAT RAMP - DOCK - OUTDOOR BBQ 210 Collier Ave. Everglades City, FL riverwilderness@localline2.com Advertise Your Business Card phone or mulletrapper@gmail.com EVERGLADES LIONS CLUB Serving our community with eye and hearing assistance since the 1950's. Call us with your needs. New members welcome. Come join our unique organization. Phone Elaine or emiddel@aol.com ANTS-ROACHES TERMITES BED BUGS FLEAS-TICKS SPIDERS RODENTS mulletrapper@gmail.com PAGE 4

5 SCHOOL NEWS Everglades City School phone: or website: IMPORTANT DATES Fri, Aug 17: Mon, Aug 20: Thurs, Aug 30: Mon, Sept 3: Mon, Sept 10: From Savannah s Eyes WooHoo! Volleyball practice has officially started! This means that the games are soon. I'm excited for this school year; we have new everything! This year is going to be one of the best school years ever. The first day of school, August 20, is also a very special day for me. It's my birthday! I am going to be 15 years old! Time sure does fly by, and I am glad that I have been able to share my stories with all of my fans/readers. Thanks again for reading my articles; I truly appreciate you all and enjoy writing them. The other day I went to the Edison Ford Winter Estate in Fort Myers. It was amazing, and I loved it! They exhibited both Thomas Edison's inventions and Henry Ford's, too. The Museum had the cars that Henry Ford built and Thomas Edison's light bulbs that he first made. I thought that it was very educational; plus the gardens and estate are just gorgeous! They even have the Edison's pool that still has the diving boards and everything. Both of their houses are right beside each other. The Victorian furniture (and atmosphere) is just so pretty. I loved everything (I actually wanted to take a few ideas from the bedrooms and put them in my room). The garden was Mr. Edison's wife's, and plants from all over the world may be purchased. The seeds come from the original trees on the property and are replanted back in the garden to sell. Mr. Edison didn't just create the light bulb, he also experimented with plants, rubber and cement. He was a very educated man, and at this Museum you will be in awe of all the things that he accomplished in his life. I can't wait to go back there again! Maybe this year at school we can take a field trip there because, trust me, if you haven't been there you should go check it out if you like to learn about our history. Excited to start school soon and excited to turn another year older! With love, Savannah Walk-Thru, 4:00-6:00 p.m. Students Return to School SAC, Media Center, 6:00 p.m. Labor Day, No School Booster Club, 6:30 p.m. Savannah Oglesby is entering the 10 th grade at Everglades City School and is a regular contributor to this paper. NEW TEACHER Welcome, Jennifer Parsons, who is our new 3 rd grade teacher. Jenn received her Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from FSU in Tallahassee (where she also served as Captain of the Women s Lacrosse team) and her Masters of Reading degree from FGCU in Ft. Myers. She comes to Everglades City Schools from Spring Creek Elementary School in Bonita Springs where she had taught since For the past seven years Jenn was the Assistant Women s Lacrosse Coach at Barron Collier High School (taking the team to the State finals). She and her new husband Ted (who is also a teacher and an assistant athletic director at Barron Collier) have just moved into a new home they built in Naples with their chocolate lab puppy named Miller. Jenn s hobbies include hanging out with family and friends, reading, and playing and watching sports. PRINCIPAL S MESSAGE Dear Gator Families, We are getting more excited, by the day, as we near the opening of school. Our staff is anxious to meet our students and their families as we welcome in the school year. Please do not hesitate to call at with any questions you may have. See you on the 20 th. Bob Spano Students Dress Code We will be following and enforcing the District dress code policy. We have sent home a flyer with some additional information. Our School Advisory Council (SAC) will also be discussing this at their meetings. The current plan is to keep it on the agenda until the Council feels everyone has had an opportunity for input. The next SAC meeting is on Thursday, August 30, in the Media Center at 6:00 p.m. MORE SPORTS! EVG is introducing two more sports programs this year! If you are interested in Cross Country or Girls' Basketball, contact Mrs. Gilmore at SCHOOL SUPPLIES NEEDED! Teachers for each grade have a list of school supplies, such as crayons and note books, that are needed in class this fall. See Donations are welcome! Tennis Camp was the last of the summer vacation activities. See more photos on page 1. mulletrapper@gmail.com PAGE 5

6 DEANO S A/C and HEATING Sales Service Maintenance CALL ANYTIME Licensed CAC Advertise Your Business Here phone or mulletrapper@gmail.com LABOR DAY Muck-About & Open House mulletrapper@gmail.com PAGE 6

7 SEAFOOD FESTIVAL Sponsors Wanted Meet the stars! Have your name on the beer mugs? These are just some of the opportunities offered for sponsorship at the Everglades Seafood Festival. You can meet the top-line country & western entertainers and have a huge banner with your company logo on the big stage. You will also be introduced by Mayor Sammy Hamilton during the opening ceremony on either Saturday or Sunday before the musicians take over. If you want to target the souvenir hunters, sponsor a beer tent whose plastic mugs with your logo will be taken home and used for years by the crowds who have enjoyed their weekend. Your company name will be on a large banner over the tent and be announced from the stage. Your company will also be listed on the official website and mentioned in the media. The Seafood Festival takes place in 2013 over the weekend of February 8-10 and the organizers are using the quiet summer months to plan this traditional event which is celebrating its 40th anniversary. The deadline to sign up as a sponsor is October 1 but the number of opportunities is limited And, you will be helping our remote rural community because the profits are donated for scholarships and other local causes. For info, visit the Festival office behind Island Café from 1:00-4:00 p.m. or phone The official Festival website is where you can also download vendor application forms. Recipe for Good Eating Great-Great-Grandmother Lidia Walls Lightning Cake submitted by Phill Lawry Sift together 3 times 1 cup sugar 1 cup flour 1 teaspoon baking POWDER In 1 cup measure beat 2 eggs add one quarter cup butter add milk to make one cup Mix these in with dry ingredients Bake at 350 for minutes. Phill commented in his My maternal great-grandfather ate one of these cakes every day between lunch and dinner the thirty years I knew him. The whole cake. Frosted. Every day. After getting up at 3am to pull lobster traps and all the associated boat-bait-fishing gear work. Work in the garden, couple acres, not one power tool, till lunchtime. Eat. Take nap. DO NOT make any noise to interrupt nap. Get up. Eat cake. Trust wife to work him over with a straight razor. Pick fruit, vegetables, dig spuds for roadside stand. Evening meal at 4:30pm sharp. Guard garden from predators (poach deer), knit bait heads and ends for lobster traps. Bed at 9 pm. Every day. Died broke, around 80. If you have a favorite recipe to share, please phone or us. Patty Huff Angel of the Swamp She might not be a local but we see this angel in the Everglades area all the time in her distinctive truck. When she s not bringing goodies for the kiddies, she s helping out at Summer Camp or Build-a-Boat and goes with them on all the outings such as Sun n Fun Lagoon and Naples Zoo. She s also one of a small group who works hard to make our Independence Day Celebration a success every year and is never seen without her camera which provides the photos for the community FaceBook pages that she maintains. Her unusual career included being a law enforcement dispatcher, Community Service Deputy, and working for the Senior Services Bureau within the Collier County Sheriff s Office. In addition, she is president of the Police Activities League (PAL, a voluntary organization) which provides school supplies for us. Through her, PAL donated the ping-pong table for our Community Center and takes youngsters on Shop with a Cop each year. She is a co-coordinator of the Collier Leg of the Annual Law Enforcement Torch Run to benefit Special Olympics and regularly participates to other charity events in her spare time. Sue Gentry s official CCSO title is Crime Prevention Officer but her dedication to our area and its people is more than just a job. This extraordinary angel shows her love for this community, and especially the soft spot in her heart for children, in everything she does. HOUSEHOLD TIPS Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking. To make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up. Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if you want a stronger taste of garlic. Reheat leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, on med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. mulletrapper@gmail.com PAGE 7

8 Patty Huff had a good day fishing with Steve on August 10. She released the snook after this photo was taken. FWC News Hunter Safety courses are available now before the season starts. If you are between 16 and 37 years old, you should complete one before getting a license. You can attend the 12-hour class room and 3-hour range courses but if you do some of the classes online, then only 4 hours are required in the class room, plus the 3 hours on the range. For more info and to register, see and click on Safety. For wildlife info and regulations, see Wildlife Alert Hotline: FWCC (3922) Angler Tag Return Hotline: FREE FISHING! You do not need a saltwater license to fish in Everglades National Park waters on Saturday, September 1. Bag limits and slot sizes apply as usual. SAWFISH SIGHTINGS If you see a sawfish, please report it to: * Online at * By phone: (352) or (352) * By sawfish@flmnh.ufl.edu The smalltooth sawfish is a protected species. FLORIDA FLORA by Patricia Huff Beware of Pests There is a slow moving insect that has been infesting a number of our South Florida trees, such as the gumbo limbo, black olive, mango, live oak, banana and coconut palms. It is called the "spiraling whitefly" and is different from the ficus whitefly. If you notice white rings (spirals) on your leaves and a white, waxy substance on the underside, beware. As soon as you see these white spirals, you need to thoroughly wash the plants with a strong stream of water and follow-up with either an insecticidal soap or horticultural oil. Continue once a week for three to four weeks or as long as necessary. It may take longer with large trees but should be effective for nine to twelve weeks. For tropical fruit trees, check with the county for recommendations about using pesticides. For more info, see and click on "gumbo limbo spiraling whitefly" or call them at (305) The Living Gulf Coast by Charles Sobczak (Excerpt from The Living Gulf Coast available at the Chamber Welcome Center and the Big Cypress Swamp Visitor Center) Venice Area Audubon Society Rookery 4002 Annex Road, Venice, FL / Phone: / Fax: n/a / Website: www. veniceaudubon.org / / Admission is free. Considered one of Venice s best-kept secrets, the Venice Area Audubon Society s Rookery, or VAAS Rookery, is a very small island in the middle of an equally small lake. It is a classic example of the symbiotic relationship between alligators and birds. Alligators in the lake protect the nesting area from snakes, raccoons, bobcats, and rats that might otherwise take eggs and chicks from the nests. A handful of fledglings are lost every year because they fall from the nest or are snatched from lower branches by the alligators, but these losses pale in comparison with the damage a single raccoon can do in one night to a rookery as dense as this one can be. Photo by Sara Lopez The rookery tends to be the most crowded from January through March, though different birds continue to nest on the island throughout the rest of the year. Since the various species that use the rookery tend to nest and hatch at different times of the year, there is something going on here every month of the year. The list of birds observed on the island include great blue herons, snowy and great egrets, anhingas, ibis, green herons, and cattle egrets. There is a large covered pavilion adjacent to the pond. Because the distance between the shoreline and the island is less than 100 feet, the VAAS Rookery has become an extremely popular place to photograph immature chicks, feeding parents, and mating couples. A good telephoto lens will bring the nest so close that you can actually see the colors of the eggs being laid or catch a parent feeding hungry chicks in the afternoon light. The best viewing is down the path and to the left of the pavilion. Be sure to look up into the surrounding slash pines and live oaks for fledglings, nervous parents, or avian predators waiting for an opportunity to turn an unattended chick into dinner. The beauty of the VAAS Rookery is that you do not need to wade through wetlands or hike miles to find this urban rookery. In fact, the road leading up to the rookery is fairly commercial in nature and seems a rather unlikely place to find an island filled to overflowing with birds. All you have to do is put the above address in your phone or GPS and drive there. You ll be glad you did. Charles Sobczak lives and writes on Sanibel Island. To find out more about the author and his books, visit mulletrapper@gmail.com PAGE 8

9 Paper Dolls & Match Box Cars by Jeff Whichello Less than two years apart, my sister and I grew up in Ochopee on a dead end street in the swamp. For whatever reason a brother picks fights with his sister, I did. Matched in size and strength, we often found ourselves rolling around on the floor like two hamsters locked in battle. Most of the altercations I initiated, whether I put pepper in her milk, pulled the heads off of her Barbie dolls and put ketchup on their necks, or defaced her Weeble Wobbles. While mother worked as a waitress at the family business, The Golden Lion restaurant, she shipped us to her mother s place. Grandmother s trailer, through the woods, and over the Turner River was surrounded by The Everglades. No matter who started something at grandmother s house, we knew that dire consequences followed, so we made a temporary truce, while sucking on stalks of sugar cane that grew wild in the area. On one side of the front room of the trailer I lined up matchbox cars. On the other side my sister spread out her paper dolls. Neither took notice of the other as we went about our plans. After moving the cars around, a strange idea came to me. I asked my sister, Do you want to play cars with me? She ignored me and time passed. Looking down at the paper that she cut she spoke, If you help me make some paper dolls I will. No! I ignored her for hours. Time wore on, and boredom pressured, and playing cars alone became monotonous. I walked over to her, sat on the floor, and picked up a pair of scissors. I cut out the clothes, colored them, and put them on a paper doll. She took a car and pushed it. Jeff Whichello grew up in Ochopee at the Golden Lion Motel which his family owned. See MUSEUM of the Everglades NEWS The Everglades City School student art exhibit will be available in the Pauline Reeves Gallery at the Museum of the Everglades for only a few more weeks. The painting shown here is the work of Ashlyn Goff, Jasmine Lucas, Bryce Kish, Austin Lewis, and Scout Morris. The Museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. There is no admission charge but donations are welcome. For information, phone The Friends of the Museum will have their next Board Meeting at the Museum on Wednesday, September 5, at 3:30 p.m. All members are welcome to attend. Storter Collection Exhibit Pictures from the Storter Collection are on view at the CCSO CommUnity Gallery in government center in Naples at 3319 Tamiami Trail East, Building J, in the lobby of the Sheriff s Office. Rob Storter was born in 1894 in the little village of Everglades where his family were pioneers. They farmed and fished the area until it was bought by Barron Collier in Rob moved to Naples where he was a fisherman. In later years, he sketched stories about his younger days, lamenting the changes that had occurred in the area. The images in this exhibit were loaned by Friends of the Museum of the Everglades. For info, phone Marco Island Historical Society On Tuesday, September 4, archaeologist Matthew Betz will lecture on the Pioneers and Early Historic Development of the Rookery Bay and northern Ten Thousand Island. The free lecture takes place at the monthly meeting at 7:00 p.m. in the Rose Historical Auditorium at the Museum, 180 S. Heathwood Drive. For info, see Off the Shelf Florida Fiction The Faye Longchamp series by Mary Anna Evans reviewed by Marya Repko If you re interested in the past and unearthing it, here is a series of stories about an archeologist in Florida. I ve only read two of the books: Artifacts (the first one, published in 2003) and Strangers (the sixth one, 2010). They all feature Faye Longchamp who lives in an old plantation home on the Panhandle coast. We meet her constant companion Joe Wolf Mantooth and her professor Magda as they solve mysteries from the past and the present. Included in the dialogue are excerpts from old documents that Faye has found. These books are more serious than the light fiction I reviewed in the 8/3/12 issue of the Rapper but a good read. They are available on request from our local public library. Author Mary Anna Evans says she is pleased that her fiction can lead students into an appreciation of the past. She is working with schools and has also written books for children. For more info, see her website mulletrapper@gmail.com PAGE 9

10 SHERIFF S REPORT On Wednesday, August 1, a resident in Jerome discovered that their home had been burglarized. Our detectives are currently investigating this case. If you have info, please contact us! National Night Out was a great success. Community Safety Team members and neighbors joined us on Chokoloskee during the day and people were at our cookout that evening in Copeland. See photos on page 3. If you have any information concerning criminal or suspicious activity please notify the Collier County Sheriff s Office immediately at or 911 for emergencies. Florida Tales Carlstrom Field Cadets of WWII Part 1 of 2 by Chester Keene This story is about 550 Cadets of His Majesty s Royal Air Force. Prospective Pilots and Officers who were sent to Carlstrom Field in Arcadia, Fl. The United States was not at War yet, but Great Britain was and they were fighting for their survival, this was before December 7, The British sought a safe place where they could train their future Airmen all year round. South Florida was an ideal location, large areas of Prairie land and good weather. There was also another WWI Air Field used for training named Dorr Field east of Arcadia that was reactivated also to meet the demands for training (that is now a state prison for the Department of Corrections). The Cadets were all transported down to the docks to be loaded on an Ocean Liner (aka Troopship) for the trip across the "Pond' to Nova Scotia as to take them most of the way out from prowling U-Boats in the shipping lanes. There they were put on board, cramped in their quarters in hammocks and bunks in the bowels of the ship. They were told they were on a Troopship and to make the best of it. After getting underway they were met with their escorts, the H.M.S. Rodney and four other Destroyers. The trip was of little interest the first two days, the western ocean gave them a most inhospitable reception and guard duty was sheer misery. Sea sickness and cramped quarters was of no help. They were allowed on deck for exercise and fresh air and to break up the monotonous and boring trip, they amused themselves by reading the Aldis Lamp signals that were used for communication between ships during radio silence. All was quite until the third day into the trip which was a Saturday. Reading one of these messages they were to find that the Nazi Battleship Bismark was on the high seas and had their speed and course. There was an immediate change in their course and increase of speed. That did not improve their peace of mind when they saw the H.M.S. Rodney and three of the Destroyers change course and steam out of sight over the horizon. Everyone realized the danger they were in. To be continued Chester Keene is a retired law enforcement officer and Florida native. He retains the copyright to this article. Glades Daze A Blessed Day on the Water by Adela Padron-Butler Recently, Everglades City and surrounding communities along with the Gulf of Mexico and the entire state of Florida were affected by a weather system that moved like a snail and blew with winds fueled by tornadoes that inundated many coastal and inland areas with torrential rains that kept tides very high. Not forceful enough to qualify as a full-fledged hurricane, none-theless it received a notable name: Tropical Storm Debby. She stayed with us for about a week. In the aftermath, Bill, Elaine Middelstaedt and I decided to go boating, fishing and exploring. Our collective thinking was that the turmoil the aforementioned system had caused would be productive for fishing and exploring what nature had unearthed or washed ashore. We set out on this venture in the early afternoon with the tide going out, heading north toward Round Key, one of my favorite islands for walking. This island, once inhabited, is small and has a wonderful, long sandbar during low tide. Walking its entire periphery including the sandbar can take under a couple of hours depending on personal pace and how captivating the sites are. Equipped with food, drink, hats, mosquito repellent, sunscreen, fishing rods, walking sticks, ice coolers and decent beach walking shoes, we were soon approaching the island. The plan was for Bill to drop us off while he fished and Elaine and I walked. It was soon obvious that things were very different on this day. Nearing most islands by boat for the purpose of disembarking and without having the vessel getting stuck in the shallow, sandy bottom, is tricky enough in this area known at the Ten Thousand Islands. What awaited us was a total surprise. The sandbar was prominent and glistening in the sun, however, the surrounding waters were just as shallow as it was and Bill could not get close to it, so Elaine and I got off quite a distance from the island and we walked where no man had walked before. To an onlooker, it might have appeared like we were literally 'walking on water'. As we proceeded walking and exploring, the tide continued to recede and we could have easily walked across to the adjacent island. Everything along the island's edge was so exposed that it was like a visual buffet of neat things to see in detail. Many of the beautiful shells large and small we were encountering, were live, meaning they were mollusk occupied but struggling without the usual water that covers them. Further along, we came across the crude foundation remains of what was once a house now offering up little pools of trapped water in the different structures. As we rounded the island and headed back to the sandbar we were amazed to see acres of sandy, grassy areas that are ordinarily covered by water. The extreme low tide had reached its peak and we were there to witness. Nothing like being at the right place at the right time. To be continued... Adela Padron-Butler retains all copyrights to this article. mulletrapper@gmail.com PAGE 10

11 RESTAURANT NEWS Camellia Street Grill ( ): Closed for the summer City Seafood ( ): 6:00 am 6:00 pm; daily Fish Market also open Everglades Seafood Depot ( ): 10:30 am - 10:00 pm; daily Everglades Scoop ( ): Closed for the summer Gator Express ( ): 7:00 am 6:00 pm; Sun - Thurs 7:00 am 7:00 pm; Fri, Sat Subway closed for summer. Glades Haven Deli ( ): 6:00 am 6:00 pm; Sun - Thurs 6:00 am 9:00 pm; Fri, Sat Havana Café ( ): Closed for the summer Island Café ( ): 6:00 am 9:00 pm; daily Ivey House ( ): 6:30 9:30 am; daily Continental breakfast, box lunches Joanie s Blue Crab Café ( ): 11:00 am 4:00 pm; Thurs thru Mon Oyster House Restaurant ( ): 11:00 am 9:00 pm; Sun thru Thurs 11:00 am 10:00 pm; Fri, Sat Right Choice Pizzeria ( ): 5:00 8:30 pm; Thurs- Sun (takeout) Rod & Gun ( ): 7:00 10:00 am Breakfast; daily 11:30 am - 9:00 pm; daily Susie s Station ( ): 11:00 am - 5:00 pm; daily Triad Seafood ( or ): Closed for the summer Right Choice Supermarket ( ) 9:00 am 7:00 pm, Mon-Sat 10:00 am 6:30 pm, Sun Grimm s Stone Crab ( ) Closed for the summer Loco s Produce Frank s cell phone (239) :00 am - 4:00 pm; Saturday ECity Post Office EVERGLADES CITY Lat: 25.87ºN Long: 81.37ºW see for weather and for storms Fran Tifft s eldest son, Chief Warrant Officer William Pond led the tributes on August 4 to his mother. Photo thanks to Helen Bryan. TIDES FOR BARRON RIVER Lat: 25.87ºN Long: 81.37ºW 08/17 Fri 03:25am 2.7 H 08/17 Fri 10:06am 0.6 L 08/17 Fri 03:02pm 3.3 H 08/17 Fri 10:45pm 0.0 L 08/18 Sat 03:54am 2.8 H 08/18 Sat 10:46am 0.4 L 08/18 Sat 03:39pm 3.3 H 08/18 Sat 11:20pm 0.0 L 08/19 Sun 04:22am 2.9 H 08/19 Sun 11:28am 0.3 L 08/19 Sun 04:19pm 3.2 H 08/19 Sun 11:55pm 0.2 L 08/20 Mon 04:50am 3.0 H 08/20 Mon 12:12pm 0.2 L 08/20 Mon 05:06pm 3.0 H 08/21 Tue 12:30am 0.3 L 08/21 Tue 05:20am 3.0 H 08/21 Tue 01:01pm 0.2 L 08/21 Tue 06:03pm 2.8 H 08/22 Wed 01:07am 0.5 L 08/22 Wed 05:54am 3.0 H 08/22 Wed 01:57pm 0.2 L 08/22 Wed 07:12pm 2.5 H 08/23 Thu 01:47am 0.7 L 08/23 Thu 06:37am 3.0 H 08/23 Thu 03:03pm 0.2 L 08/23 Thu 08:33pm 2.3 H 08/24 Fri 02:38am 0.9 L 08/24 Fri 07:37am 3.0 H 08/24 Fri 04:18pm 0.2 L 08/24 Fri 10:06pm 2.1 H 08/25 Sat 03:57am 1.0 L 08/25 Sat 08:59am 3.0 H 08/25 Sat 05:32pm 0.1 L 08/25 Sat 11:53pm 2.2 H 08/26 Sun 05:25am 1.0 L 08/26 Sun 10:29am 3.0 H 08/26 Sun 06:40pm 0.1 L 08/27 Mon 01:12am 2.3 H 08/27 Mon 06:38am 1.0 L 08/27 Mon 11:47am 3.1 H 08/27 Mon 07:39pm 0.0 L 08/28 Tue 01:49am 2.4 H 08/28 Tue 07:39am 0.8 L 08/28 Tue 12:49pm 3.3 H 08/28 Tue 08:31pm 0.0 L 08/29 Wed 02:16am 2.5 H 08/29 Wed 08:32am 0.7 L 08/29 Wed 01:41pm 3.4 H 08/29 Wed 09:17pm 0.0 L 08/30 Thu 02:40am 2.6 H 08/30 Thu 09:20am 0.5 L 08/30 Thu 02:26pm 3.4 H 08/30 Thu 09:59pm 0.1 L Fran s 7 children after the memorial service in a photo thanks to Lisa Marteeny. Tribute to Fran Family and friends gathered on August 4 at the Everglades Community Church to celebrate the life of Fran Tifft who passed away recently. All 7 of Fran s children attended, some of them traveling from as far away as Connecticut where Fran lived before moving to Chokoloskee. Mayor Sammy Hamilton paid tribute to Fran saying she did a lot for our City and that he would always remember her. Pastor Bob Wallace said that part of Fran lives on with her family and that service to Country was obvious because so many of them were in the military. Her oldest son Rev. CWO-2 William Pond said that she had class and dignity, a big smile and a big heart, but she was also a matriarch and a leader. Daughter Rev. Dr. Lisa Marteeny thanked her mother for having the guts to live her life in her own way and for teaching her children to love God, Country, family, and one s self. Youngest son Col. David Pond said that Fran was a second mother to everyone and that she had a great love of her community. Bob Wells read out a brief biography, reminding us that Fran grew up in Cape Canaveral when it was a little village and her father was a hunting & fishing guide. Bob said that his office still seems empty without her. Chris Ammerman praised Fran for her quiet wisdom and for teaching service to the community. It was thanks to Frannie that we have a Thrift Shop. After the formal tribute, there were refreshments in the Jinkins Fellowship Hall provided by the Ladies Auxiliary. mulletrapper@gmail.com PAGE 11

12 SNOOK CLASSIFIED FOR SALE: SAROCA 16 ft. Boat- $ Sail-Row-or Canoeing- All accessories Nissan (2 cycle) 3.5 hp outboard. Excellent condition. $ FIRM, Tel RENT TO OWN: House at 5% interest rate. $1025 a month for 30 Years & you own it. House & Barn on 1.02 Acres in Fakahatchee Strand State Park. Call Don at See more info & pictures at FOR SALE BY OWNER: Lot on Chokoloskee; on canal behind Post Office. Call (561) or marysue2006@bellsouth.net FOR SALE BY OWNER: 3 lots in Chokoloskee, 2 on Calusa Dr, Lot M-4; Lot M-5 (filled); Lot by cemetery. Call (419) or (740) FOR RENT: Studio apartment for rent. $600 a month or 1200 sq ft commercial space with office & handicappedaccessible bath w/shower plus apartment for $1000 a month. Call FOR SALE: If you're into fishing, this is the place for you! Lovely duplex with each unit having 2 bedrooms & 2 baths. Lower level completely redone. Located in Chokoloskee on a canal, deeded waterfront, with dock & lift. Reduced to $350,000. Call Bonnie Woodward, Keller Williams Realty, (239) FOR SALE: 14 Wood Cutting Band Saw, good condition. Call CLASSIFIEDS only $10/issue phone or us PET PICS Marya's cats feel secure under her desk during summer storms. Send us your Pet Pics by or post. JOBS PUT YOUR JOB ADS IN THE RAPPER no charge! phone us at Staff wanted at Subway. See John at Gator Express or phone Tutoring Classes offered: music theory, music history, world & American history, anthropology, geography, government, Spanish, French, English, writing, biology, chemistry, Algebra I, Arithmetic. Music Lessons: piano, violin, voice coaching, master classes. Performances as violinist, composer, vocalist for hire. College counseling: undergraduate and graduate level application process, specialization & major consulting, application essay editing. Lessons are private and will be customized to the needs of each client. For info and fees, Danielle Swisher at dmswisher85@gmail.com or phone (239) The MULLET RAPPER What s Happening in the Everglades City Area PUBLISHER Patricia A. Huff, Snook Publications P O Box 617, Everglades City, FL, (239) , mulletrapper@gmail.com EDITORS Patty Huff & Marya Repko CONTRIBUTORS Helen Bryan, Linda Friar, Darcie Guerin, Chester Keene, Bill Lindsay, Lisa Marteeny, Savannah Oglesby, Trina Mitchell, Charles Sboczak PRODUCTION layout: Marya Repko, printing: Hinson Studios PUBLISHER S STATEMENT We aim to provide local news of interest to the extended community of Everglades City, Chokoloskee, Plantation Island, Lee Cypress, Copeland, Jerome, and Ochopee. We strive to present the facts accurately without political bias or personal opinion. The views expressed in signed articles are not necessarily those of the editors or publisher. SUBSCRIPTION RATES 25 per issue or $38 per year by US Post 2012, Snook Publications. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Greet Visitors in the Museum Meet people from around the corner or around the world! Phone Martha Everglades Area Hot Lines Narcotics Anonymous (NA) Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) AlAnon Step Meeting Schedules are available in City Hall and Chokoloskee Post Office ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS date Please make check payable to Snook Publications and send to Snook Publications, P O Box 617, Everglades City, FL, The MULLET RAPPER by post ($38) The MULLET RAPPER by ($10) NAME STREET / P.O.BOX: ALTERNATE ADDRESS CITY CITY STATE ZIP STATE ZIP MONTHS AT ALTERNATE ADDRESS JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC mulletrapper@gmail.com PAGE /17/12