Looking Ahead to Upcoming Events

I think in the last several days you and I have enjoyed some of the most beautiful weather you could ask for. Yes, and it has been some of the hottest I’ve seen in the last thirty-four years or so, as well as some of the most tropical in my memory! I guess that is why I am looking forward to the future we have before us. 

I continue to havefun as I’ve watched many of my friends come motoring by our dock on the way out to enjoy these early morning temps and beautiful breezes. It seems some of these boats get more beautiful each year, as paint jobs and wraps get more elaborate with each new model year. 

There seems to be a competitive nature of sorts that goes with those anglers for the most stunning designs and the best catches each year, and they always continue to bring a smile to our faces throughout the season. 

On the opposite end of the spectrum of happy boaters comes Bob Cholka, the owner of Marco Fitness, who has what I happily refer to as the “Barcalounger” of boats. His  Bennington pontoon boat is just too cool. With an emphasis on comfort and flexibility, Bob has all the creaturecomforts at his disposal. It is accurate to say this is not your dad’s pontoon boat, believe me. 

Of course, watching boats isn’t the only pleasure I enjoy each year. I’m already looking forward to the exciting 2024- 2025 season that awaits us next year. Event schedules for this next year seem to be filling up fast.  

As such I’m hopingwe might run into each other at the annual Marco Island Fire Foundation Chili Cook-Off, held at the Esplanade. What a great time that awaits us all for a wonderful cause. If you had been there last Fall, I’m sure we might have bumped into each other and the great team of hard-working volunteers who make it such a great success each year. 

With a sold-out crowd,  the event and the wonderful volunteers gave attendees and guests a great afternoon of fun-filled memories. In addition to that, chefs outdid themselves, as did CJ’s on the Bay, who served as our hosts and the great music of the wonderful Florida Straits Band. 

Mark your calendars for November 2, 2024, for the hottest ticket year, as the Marco Island Fire Foundation is firing up for the best chili competition during the 2024-2025 season. 

This is a special place we live in, and on Monday, November 11th, the commitment of our residents to our veterans will be on display as the American Legion sponsors the community’s Veterans Day Ceremony. America’s support for our men and women in uniform is on display there, in addition to so many other locations that day, as we honor to those brave fighting men and women of our Armed Forces. Patriotism is certainly alive and well on Marco Island and is very visible throughout Southwest Florida. 

The American Legion Post 404 will host a Veterans Day Ceremony on Monday, November 11th, and more information will be forthcoming on a special ceremony and program that will be held on that Monday.  

Each year, a Fly Over by the Civil Air Patrol, including Mary Jo O’Regan’s wonderful renditions of patriotic songs, including the moving sight of the Posting of the Colors are all just some of the highlights of the ceremony  which are so well run by the committee. 

The Christmas Island Style’s wonderful series of events will kick off the festive 2024 Holiday Season as it hosts the 2024 Wayne Purvis Memorial Golf Tournament on Saturday, September 28, at the iconic Island Country Club. Their series of events will continue until December 21, when they light up the waterways around the island with the 2024 Annual Boat Parade.  

Each year the volunteer committee hosts a number of holiday events that make young and old alike get into the holiday spirit both on and off the island. 

The events and sign-up sheets for those events can be found on their website at www.christmasislandstyle.com.Marco Island knows how to celebrate Christmas, and we hope you’ll join us during this festive season of Love and Joy. 

Whether it be the simple love of watching boats make their way through our waterways as their owners go out to fish or just enjoying a day on the water, please take the time to do it, in addition to joining friends and neighbors at events similar to the ones held at the Esplanade, Veterans Community Park or the Resident’s Beach, please take the time to support causes that hit close to our hearts. 

We are very lucky to enjoy those simple pleasures that we all so often take for granted because others have guaranteed our rights to live in a free society without fear of oppression and tyranny. Our island is a special place because of you, its wonderful residents. Be part of this great place we all call home as we look forward to this wonderful year ahead and all it has to offer, and remember,  the best is yet to come folks.