Now You Know: Estero Island beach nourishment; ‘Brews for the Birds’
The Estero Island Beach Nourishment and Hurricane Recovery Project got underway July 8. The project plans to dredge approximately 950,000 cubic yards of sand from a nearshore borrow in the Gulf of Mexico at Fort Myers Beach.
Construction will begin near Bowditch Park, which serves as a staging area. Ahtna Marine Construction Corporation is currently “transporting and assembling dredge pipe along the permitted pipeline corridor from the nearshore borrow area in the Matanzas Pass ebb shoal to the beach at FDEP Range Monument 178 near 500 Estero Blvd.”
Environmental precautions are being implemented to monitor shorebirds and sea turtle nesting by FWC approved monitors as well as to monitor turbidity once pumping begins.
Construction is expected take six months.
Wonder Gardens plans ‘Brews for the Birds’
“Brews for the Birds” is on tap at the Wonder Gardens in Bonita Springs from 6 until 8 p.m., Thursday, July 25.
“The care of more than 300 birds and reptiles is our priority at Wonder Gardens, and we are grateful for the support of the community,” said Neil Anderson, executive director. “Our Brews for the Birds event is a fun and engaging way to showcase the gardens while raising funds for the continued oversight and protection of a wide variety of birds who reside in our ponds, aviaries and pavilions throughout our historical 3.5-acre park.”
The adults-only event includes food trucks, beer from local and national breweries, nonalcoholic drinks, music and the opportunity to experience the Wonder Gardens at night. Tickets are available online and are $50 for Wonder Gardens members and $55 for nonmembers and include eight tasting tickets, with additional tasting tickets for sale at the event.
Food trucks include Eazy Cheezy and Between the Bunz. Music will be supplied by local DJ Rickie Sharp. Participating breweries and beverage sponsors to date include 3 Daughters Brewing, Big Top Brewing, Funky Buddha, Islamorada Brewery. LaBelle Brewing Co., Riptide Brewing Company, Tampa Bay Brewing Co. and R.A.D. Cidery & Winery.
To purchase tickets, visit wondergardens.org/brews-for-the-birds-july2024/.
Ace Celebrates 100 in Bonita
Sunshine Ace Hardware welcomed the community to its Ace Celebrates 100 Party, celebrating parent company Ace Hardware’s 100th anniversary.
Held June 29 at Sunshine Ace Hardware in Bonita Springs, the anniversary bash had an Old Florida Roaring ‘20s theme. The party featured curated decor characterizing a community celebration from 1924, including a private collection of antique automobiles, Prohibition-era barrels and retail associates sporting 100-year retro Ace logo T-shirts along with fedoras or flappers’ headgear.
“Although Sunshine Ace Hardware didn’t get its start until 1958, we wanted to celebrate Ace Hardware’s founding in 1924 because Ace is the preferred hardware store for so many Southwest Floridians – those born and raised here as well as residents who moved here from other parts of the country,” said Michael Wynn, president of Sunshine Ace Hardware. “It’s amazing to think Ace Hardware got its start after five independent store owners decided to pool their buying power, and today the company has more than 5,900 stores in 60 countries. We were also honored that Ace Hardware’s national office joined us at our event with a film crew and chose Sunshine Ace Hardware as one of the four stores in the United States to cover this exciting event.”
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Now You Know: Estero Island beach nourishment; ‘Brews for the Birds’
