Now You Know: Estero’s response to FEMA, Sunshine Ace block party; Bonita’s Fourth plans

Will Watts
·6 min read

Estero’s Village Manager Steve Sarkozy will give a detailed presentation of Estero’s response to the FEMA Hurricane Ian compliance issue during the 9:30 a.m., Wednesday, June 19, council meeting. 

Council meetings are held in the Village Hall Council Chambers,  9401 Corkscrew Palms Circle, near the entrance to the Estero Park.

Residents are invited to attend or watch this meeting via the website: estero-fl.gov/meetings/. Residents may also access the response documents on the Village website estero-fl.gov/fema-operational-audit/.

Bonita invites public to 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 Thursday, July 4, in downtown Bonita Springs Riverside Park, 10450 Reynolds St., Bonita Springs.

Events start at 9 a.m. with the annual parade hosted by the Bonita Springs Professional Firefighters Local 3444. This year’s parade theme is America the Beautiful. The parade will take place along Old 41.

Festivities for Star Spangled Bonita 2024 will begin at 6 p.m. and include musical entertainment performed by “The Ben Allen Band.” To close the night a 48-minute drone, firework display and laser light show.

Admission is free. Food and beverages will be available for purchase with proceeds from the beverage sales going to the Bonita Springs Rotary Club. Guests are encouraged to leave their coolers and their pets at home. Tents are not permitted in the park after 8 p.m.

There will be road closures on July 4, on Old 41 Road for the morning parade. The first closure, starting from Rosemary Drive and ending on Kentucky Street, occurs at 8:30 a.m. The road reopens after the parade and will remain open until 5 p.m. Wilson Street to Childers Street on Old 41 Road will close again at 5 for the evening festivities, to ensure pedestrian safety. The road will reopen after the event at approximately 10 p.m.

Sunshine Ace Hardware to host ‘100 Party’

Sunshine Ace Hardware is hosting a free, family-friendly 100th Anniversary Block Party to commemorate Ace Hardware’s founding a century ago. It will be held in Bonita Springs and feature an Old Florida Roaring ‘20s theme and include antique cars, free food, drinks, games, activities,and live music.

Gator Nate, known for his “Florida swamp music,” will perform a free concert. Big Green Egg will have Chef Shannon Morgan, aka the Big Green Egg Foodie, serving up 1920s-style grilled oysters Rockefeller and pineapple upside-down cake.

For children and families, Wonder Gardens will host a pop-up Exotic Animal Encounter that offers meet-and-greets with animal ambassadors. Jenga, Connect 4, cornhole and other games will highlight an activity station with giveaways for children.

The signature Ace Celebrates 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 be celebrating the milestone with a 100th Anniversary Block Party that includes complimentary grilled food from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. For a complete list of store locations, please visit SunshineAce.com/sunshine-locations.

Sunshine Ace Hardware recently announced plans to open a new retail store at Pelican Bay in Naples, just miles from where the company opened its first location 65 years ago.
Sunshine Ace Hardware recently announced plans to open a new retail store at Pelican Bay in Naples, just miles from where the company opened its first location 65 years ago.

Sunshine Ace Hardware recently announced plans to open a new retail store at Pelican Bay in Naples, just miles from where the company opened its first location 65 years ago.

The new store will occupy about 20,000 square feet of The Marketplace at Pelican Bay, co-anchoring the commercial shopping center with Publix. The space previously was home to Stein Mart, which closed in 2020.

Shoppers at the Pelican Bay store will 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 fixtures, propane, gifts and supplies for DIYers.

“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 Sunshine Ace Hardware President Michael Wynn. “The response to our newest store at Founders Square has been incredible, and we envision a similar reaction once the Pelican Bay store is officially open.”

Last year, Sunshine Ace Hardware opened a new store at Founders Square, also in North Naples. In August, the locally owned company announced plans to open Ave Maria’s first hardware store in 2024.

Once construction is completed 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 to host tasting event

Grumpy Goat Coffee’s Wandering Goat summer series of roving tasting events will arrive on Thursday, June 27 at Sports Challenge America located at 28120 Race Track Rd., Bonita Springs. Attendees can meet their local master coffee roaster and artisan food and beverage experts from 4:30 until 7:30 p.m. and experience games at the family friendly multi-sport entertainment venue.

Sport Challenge America will open up a bowling lane and a 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 be providing free tastings including gourmet coffee, cookies, chocolates, sugar-free treats and bar bites. Complimentary massages will be provided by Trinity Wellness.

The Wandering Goat event is roving Bonita Springs businesses throughout the summer. The tasting events are open to the public.

Celebrate Summer Solstice in Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary with an evening of wellness and nature-based activities on June 20.
Celebrate Summer Solstice in Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary with an evening of wellness and nature-based activities on June 20.

Celebrate Summer Solstice at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Celebrate Summer Solstice in the Sanctuary with an evening of wellness and nature-based activities on June 20. Starting at 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 sunset watching at 8:21 p.m.

Plus, there will be hammocks set up for relaxing along the way, as well as an interpretive table about nocturnal animals. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for kids 6-12, and free for kids 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 among the more than 7,650 undergraduate students at the University of Iowa named to the dean's list for the 2024 spring semester.

Tebbe is a third-year student in Iowa’s College of Engineering and is majoring in Mechanical Engineering.

dean’s list status was earned by 1,063 first-year undergraduates 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 on 12 semester hours or more.

More Now You Know: Commissioners include Bonita Beach in nourishment efforts

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Now You Know: Estero’s FEMA response, a block party; Bonita’s Fourth