July-August 2016

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ontheGulf NEWS & PREVIEWS

Exhibition Moves from Airport to Alliance

The Alliance for the Arts and the Southwest Florida International Airport have had a decade-long partnership allowing millions of travelers to see works by area artists as they arrive and depart the Fort Myers area. The current exhibit ‘Art In Flight: 10 Year Anniversary,’ which has been at the airport since last summer, features works by 35 artists. The exhibition will be displayed next at the Alliance for the Arts, July 830. The Alliance will host an opening reception on July 8 from 5-7pm. Admission is free.

Artwork by Alliance student artists will be on display in the Alliance’s Member Gallery through July 30. The Alliance for the Arts is located at 10091 McGregor Blvd. In Fort Myers. The Campus and galleries are open Mon-Fri 9am5pm and Sat 9am-1pm.

Expect the Unexpected at DavisArtCenter

Acclaimed Southwest Florida photographer Mila Bridger’s

exhibition ‘#Unexpected’ is on view July 1-25 at the Davis Art Center in Fort Myers’ River District.

exhibition, ‘#Unexpected’ opens at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center July 1, 6-10pm, during Fort Myers’ Art Walk. The

reception will feature live music and hors d’ourves.

Originally hailing from Poland, Bridger’s photography is informed by European Expressionism, but unique. Her conceptional and exotic images are expressed with style and grace, blending fantasy and reality with wit and good humor.

‘#Unexpected’ will be on view July 1-25. The Davis Art Center is located in the historic downtown Fort Myers River District at 2301 First St. The gallery is open MonFri 9am-5pm. Admission is free. For information, call 333-1933.

Museum Celebrates Henry Ford’s Birthday

The public is invited to celebrates Henry Ford’s 153rd birthday at Edison & Ford Winter Estates on July 30. Birthday cake will be served on the museum’s west porch at 10am. Special behind-thescenes tours of ‘The Mangoes,’ Ford’s winter estate home will be offered at 11am, 12 & 1pm.

The exhibition ‘Art in Flight’ moves from the Southwest Florida Airport to the Alliance for the Arts, July 8-30.

Photographer Mila Bridger’s

Henry Ford and his wife Clara purchased their winter retreat in Fort Myers, right next to the winter home of their friends Thomas & Mina Edison, in 1916. The purchase price was $20,000 for about three acres of riverfront gardens with a lovely Craftsmanstyle bungalow.

The Fords spent many winters in Fort Myers with their friend, Thomas Edison. Their adjacent Florida estates provided great getaways for the friends to relax, explore Florida, and of course, talk business and innovation.

In honor of Ford’s birthday, active and retired Ford Motor Company employees will receive free admission, including a selfguided audio tour of the historic homes, gardens, lab and museum.

The Edison & Ford Winter Estates are located at 2350 McGregor Blvd. in Fort Myers’ Historic River District. The museum is open daily 10am-5:30pm. Call 334-7419 for information.

MangoMania Celebrates 25th Year

MangoMania, Pine Island’s Tropical Fruit Fair, celebrates its 25th year on July 16 & 17.

The family festival features adult and kids contests for the largest mango, mango pie eating, mango hat decorating,

MangoMania, Pine Island’s summer festival, is July 16 & 17 in Cape Coral.

Mr. Mango Head, and mango throw, as well as professional & amateur food & recipe contests. There will also be mango juggling, a mango hat parade, free mango tasting tables, live entertainment, a kids corner with rides and games, tropical fruit food & drinks, arts & crafts, educational talks, and tropical plants & trees sale, as well as the beautiful Mango Queen, Summer Dooley.

MangoMania Tropical Fruit Fair is July 16, 10am-7pm & July 17, 10am-5pm at the GermanAmerican Social Club, located at 2101 Pine Island Rd. in Cape Coral. KIds under 10 free. For information, call 283-0888.

Naples Gallery Presents Georgian Surrealist

East West Fine Art gallery at Mercato presents ‘Between Dreams & Reality: Surrealist works by Merab Gagiladze,’ August 6-20.

Merab Gagiladze reinterprets the tales and legends of his native Georgia. He is inspired by history, mythology and religion, often using symbolism and subtle

ornamentation in his paintings. His paintings are populated with characters at the crossroads between dreams and reality.

East West Fine Art (formerly Gallery on Fifth) is located at Mercato, at 9115 Strada Place, #5130, in Naples. The gallery is open daily 10am-8pm. Admission is free. For information, call 220-7503.

Conservancy of SWFL Offers Free Saturdays for Kids in July & August

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida will offer free admission for children every Saturday during July & August. As part of the Conservancy’s commitment to connecting children with nature this summer, the Conservancy is offering up to four kids free with a paid adult ticket.

Visitors can travel around the

Conservancy of Southwest Florida as they play games, create crafts, get up close with live animals, explore the touch tank, and see Luna, the loggerhead sea turtle, in the 5,000-gallon aquarium in the interactive Dalton Discovery Center. Over the course of eight Saturdays, children can earn ‘Conservancy Explorer’ pins to add to their ‘Junior Naturalist’ sash.

The von Arx Wildlife Hospital treats more than 3,200 injured, sick and orphaned native animals each year. Discover threats facing our animals and injury prevention tips. Guided tours of the von Arx Wildlife Hospital Nursery. Guests can walk through the hospital exhibits and check out a behindthe-scenes film, patient X-rays, animal artifacts, and guided tours of the Jr. Vet Lab.

The Junior Vet Lab is an interactive play space where children can learn how veterinarians care for animals. The Junior Vet Lab is open Mon-Sat 9:30am-4:30pm in the Nature Center’s Sapakie Family Classroom.

The Conservancy of SWFL is a not-for-profit environmental protection organization with a 50 year history focused on the issues impacting the water, land, wildlife, and future of Collier, Lee, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades counties. The Conservancy is located at 1495 Smith Preserve Way in Naples, off Goodlette-Frank Rd. For information, call 262-0304.

Oil Exploration in Big Cypress National Preserve Approved A

fter the National Park Service concluded the work would have no significant environmental impact, The Burnett Oil Company has won approval to explore for oil two miles beneath the surface of 110 square miles of Big Cypress National Preserve. The decision will allow the largest seismic testing operation ever to occur in a National Park. Environmentalists have denounced the decision, claiming it will cause lasting damage to some of the last

East West Fine Art in Naples presents the surrealist paintings of Merab Gagiladze, August 6-20.

extensive wildlife habitats left in Florida.

The permission granted covers only the initial exploration plan. If Burnett decides to drill and extract the oil, the company would need to go through another approval process and environmental review.

The work would take place across 70,000 acres along Alligator Alley, an area of cypress and pine forests, and swamps that are home to panthers, black bears, deer, and more wildlife as well as a vital link to the drinking water supply for almost 8 million people.

The Preserve released a statement: "Scientists with the National Park Service evaluated the potential effects of the survey on the preserve. After extensive agency and tribal consultation and analysis of public comments, the agency found that the proposed seismic survey would pose no significant environmental impacts."

Nicholas Lund, Senior Manager of the National Parks Conservation Association's Landscape Conservation Program countered, "Preserve staff conducted the minimum amount of environmental review necessary to approve a plan that would create up to 1,000 miles of new rutted trails through the habitat of nine federally endangered species in a previously roadless area, with other lasting impacts to soils and water quality."

Burnett Oil must adhere to 47 measures to prevent environmental damage, including the avoidance of nests and colonies of endangered birds, scouting areas for burrows of gopher tortoises, Eastern indigo snakes or burrowing owls. But tests would be carried out by 30 ton trucks criss-crossing the Preserve sending sound waves down through the earth. “We’re concerned these trucks could do a

lot of damage to the ecosystem,” said Amy Mall, Senior Policy Analyst for the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Last year, Burnett Oil tried once to survey for oil in the park, but ended up getting its truck stuck in the swampy soil. National Park Service said that the test was “clearly a failure” and pointed out that the oil company was unfamiliar with the wetland environment of the preserve.

The NRDC also issued a statement: “Greenlighting oil exploration in pristine areas of Big Cypress National Preserve is bad news for safe drinking water and the iconic Florida Panther. Oil exploration would bring devastating industrial activity into precious habitat for the highly endangered wildcat — threatening its continued survival. Additionally, the National Park Service is opening the door to potential oil drilling on top of the drinking water supply for much of South Florida. Oil drilling has no place in this crown jewel of the Everglades.”

Although Big Cypress is part of the National Park System, it is not a park but a preserve, a designation that allows activities such as hunting and oil drilling. Oil drilling has taken place in South Florida since the 1940s along a narrow chain of underground deposits which runs across the region from Fort Myers to near Miami. Oil drilling has taken place in Big Cypress Preserve since the 1970s, where two oil fields are currently active. Another oil exploration proposal for the Everglades has still not received approval.

Matthew Schwartz, Executive

Director of the South Florida Wildlands Association, is consulting with several environmental groups about a legal challenge to the decision. "We are surprised and very sad that after years of contentious management of one of the most biodiverse but fragile public lands in our National Park System, the service has decided to move forward in this manner," he said.

Getting Naked at The Ringling

The Ringling Museum of Art presents ‘Exposure: Naked Before the Lens,’ an exhibition of 20th & 21st century photography, thru September 25.

With its origins in GrecoRoman antiquity, the idealized nude as a subject has typically represented the embodiment of divine nature or the humanistic notion of virtue and moral perfectibility.

Photography has had a more complicated relationship to the

subject of nudity. Since the camera is designed to capture detail, photographs often connect us more immediately to the specifics of time, place, and the relationship between photographer and model. Although many photographers have used their medium to approach the tradition of the classical nude, others have used photography’s unique qualities to explore aspects of desire, intimacy, even vulnerability — or what we might define as ‘nakedness.’ ‘Exposure: Naked Before the Lens’ presents the many ways in which twentieth and twenty-first century photographers have presented the undressed human body in their work.

The Ringling Museum of Art is located at 5401 Bay Shore Rd. in Sarasota. The museum is open daily 10am-5pm, Thursdays until 8pm. For information, call 941-359-5700.

‘Exposure: Naked Before the Lens’ is on view at The Ringling Museum of Art thru September 25.

60,000 pound trucks could be allowed to criss-cross Big Cypress Preserve exploring for oil.

Bathing an Elephant is a BIGJob

by Gillian Birch

The click-click-click of the ceiling fan awoke me; the queasy nervousness in my stomach made sure I didn’t fall back to sleep, despite the early hour. The gravity of the day ahead slowly pierced my sleepiness, as I recalled with dread that today I was going to bathe an elephant.

In the darkness, I silently berated myself for agreeing to something so ridiculous. I hate water –I hate swimming – I even hate washing my hair, yet here I was embarking on some crazy activity I might not survive! Such were my darkest thoughts as I dressed for the trip, pulling on a swimsuit beneath shorts and a cotton shirt. Bundling my towel, video camera and sunhat into a bag, I reluctantly headed out the door.

Sam was waiting for me at the bottom of the hotel steps. I envied his carefree attitude as he leaned nonchalantly against the door of the comfortable jeep, the engine’s hum assuring me of the air-conditioned coolness within. Sam was my gentle, smiling, knowledgeable driver-cum-guide, charged with keeping me entertained during my stay in Sri Lanka. So far he had taken me on city tours, shopping trips and jungle adventures. With him, I had bottle-fed baby elephants, released three-dayold turtles into the sea, and even stroked a porcupine. He had introduced me to a new way to eat fresh pineapple—chopped into rings by a machete-wielding grandmother who threw a handful of salt into the bag before I could stop her. It tasted surprisingly good. Now, I had submitted to his enthusiastic idea that I could not leave Sri Lanka without bathing an elephant. Whatever was I thinking to say “yes”?

Sam drove steadily along the dusty road, stopping the

car a short while later and dashing along the busy street on his usual errand. I asked him once why he always stopped outside the temple before each journey, and his reply humbled me. “The mountain roads are busy and dangerous. I make a prayer and an offering at the gate to ensure our safety.”

It wasn’t just his attitude that earned my respect. Each day he greeted me, despite the sticky heat, wearing a crisp, collared shirt, tailored black trousers pressed to perfection, and highly polished dress shoes. When I visited his home and met his wife and two young daughters, I realized how incredibly difficult it was to maintain such sartorial standards while living in a house with no electricity.

We drove inland, the jeep climbing the steep, winding mountain roads through the rainforest. I calmed my butterfly nerves by concentrating on the oncoming traffic. It was the usual procession of ancient rusting vehicles: noisy three-wheeler tuk-tuks laden with workers, lowpowered mopeds carrying a family of four, dilapidated trucks spewing pollution at every gear change, and the occasional elephant rattling its chains as it dragged huge logs along the road.

I tried not to think about what lay ahead. Bathing an elephant – how much water would that entail? Would it be like swimming with dolphins, I vaguely wondered, although I had never been brave enough to do that.

Sam pulled the car off the road and into a shady clearing beside a wide river. The rushing water bounced and buffeted over the smooth stony riverbed. I hopped out of the car and stretched, listening to the lively buzz and hum of a thousand invisible insects. Soon the heavy tread of an approaching elephant broke the tranquility. A moment later it emerged from the jungle carrying a mahout wearing little more than

a loin cloth. The man jumped nimbly down, and the elephant began to pick its way down the grassy bank and into the clear water.

Sam took my video camera and urged me forward. He thrust two coconut-shell halves into my trembling hands, and nervously I waded into the river. The elephant knelt ponderously on his front knees, then rolled slowly onto his side with a splash, his mouth ajar in a jumbo-sized smile. You could almost hear his sighs of pleasure. Cautiously, I approached and began scooping water over that enormous gray hide, scrubbing with the coconut shell as I worked my way across his dusty flank. Soon, I became totally engrossed in the task, my fear of water and my nerves forgotten as I scooped and scrubbed, scooped and scrubbed. It became wonderfully therapeutic as I sought to serve and please my new best friend.

After about 20 minutes, the elephant began to struggle and rose onto his forelegs. Dimly I heard Sam

shouting from the bank “Up! Miss Gillian, Up!” Responding to his voice, I grabbed the fraying rope around the elephant’s neck and scrambled up to sit on those broad shoulders as the elephant stood foursquare in the middle of the river. I never anticipated what happened next. The elephant reached its dexterous trunk into the river and began hosing up huge amounts of water, then he threw back his trunk, spraying water all over his head – and drenching me. Time after time he sucked up the water and tossed it back, and I was helpless to do anything except laugh with sheer delight at the absurdity of the situation.

Finally, the elephant had enough. Swaying with each step, he trundled up the river bank, with me riding high on his neck. I was soaked but jubilant, feeling better than if I had spent a day at the spa. A gigantic sense of achievement replaced my earlier fear of water and trepidation of large animals – for today I had bathed an elephant.

OETRY • 3 RDPLACE

Silence

by Lori Izral

Silence, like darkness, is awesome. It’s big; it’s encompassing; it’s overpowering. Some seek it; most avoid it.

I’m still wrestling with the concept of silence as an absence of “something” or an addition of “something.”

But that’s of no concern now.

What matters is that there is a silence between us!

Not the kind in which loved ones are comfortable in the silence of each other’s presence; But rather a silence riddled with fear…

As if somehow breaking it would demand more energy, more involvement, more happenings.

But such silence, bearing the fear of the unknown, balances the excitement of what may be…

Like the silence in which roots grow to give strength and life… or the silence of the waiting Babe in the womb… or the silence of nature before the volcano erupts… or the silence in the “eye” of the tornado.

How wise a God to design silence as part of process… whether it be birthing or growing or passing.

I don’t know what the silence between us is doing, but I look forward with excitement to its breakage.

F ICTION • 1 STPLACE

Disappointed

by Jan Nieman

March 3, 1999

Hi Walter, I know you have been in touch with my son Mike, and you two have dug enough into our mutual family history to conclude that you and I could be half-siblings. Mike says you’re aware your father, Jake, was previously married and had a child. That would be me. I presume he also told you that your father and I didn’t have a good relationship (an understatement).

My earliest Jake memory is when he, my mother and I finished our conversation-less dinner. My eyes, however, remained focused on the mountain of dreaded peas on my plate. Did you know, Walter, hot peas have no smell and cold ones are worse?

Jake glared while I shoveled those little green BBs from one side of my plate to the other. He threatened, “Gladys, if it takes all night, she’s going to sit there until she finishes her peas.”

My mother tossed a fleeting glance my way, but I sensed an intervention wasn’t in the works. Perhaps acquiescence outweighed a nasty scene. Disappointed, bedtime arrived when Jake allowed me to slip off my chair and climb into my crib.

Come morning, Mr. Eat-Your-Peas had already left for work when I ambled into the kitchen sucking my thumb and trailing my blanky. My mother, hunched over the sink, stifled gulping sounds. She swung her arm toward the plated peas. “Well, there’s your breakfast,” she said, backing up my father as a devout Catholic wife should.

Wanna guess what my least favorite veggie is today?

Walter, I understand from Mike that your childhood wasn’t at all like mine. You told him, “Well, we moved around a lot and he was pretty strict with us. But all in all, I think I had a good childhood.”

During one conversation your wife let slip to Mike, “Jake sent his kids to camps all Summer to get rid of them.” She added, “One time we stopped at a McDonalds and Jake wouldn’t come in. He never liked to eat out, wanted his plain home-cooked food. But we convinced him he could order a hamburger without anything on it. Well, it came with the works. He picked up the bun’s top and threw the rest against a wall. Our eyes bugged out as we followed the mess slipping down the plaster.”

Now, that’s the father I knew!

As I grew I thought he probably was disappointed he produced a girl, not a boy. Which perhaps, Walter, is why you didn’t see that side of him. Jake was a deer hunter, a sometime soft ball player who hungered for men’s conver-

sation. When asked to locate him for supper, I’d spot him in a smoke-filled corner tavern guffawing with his buddies. “Daddy,” I squeaked, “Mama said to come home for supper.” Mission accomplished, my little legs pumped me home to safety.

Later that year I overheard a conversation between my parents. Jake said, “The kid should take accordion lessons.”

My mother challenged, “Isn’t she a little young for that?”

Huh? As far as I was concerned, learning to play an instrument foretold another arena for failure and repercussions. The beginner’s twelve-bass accordion submerged my entire body. I was transformed into a huge box of bellows with a head, legs and thrashing arms.

I have to share with you, Walter, what happened on my eighth birthday. After supper and opening gifts, my father said, “Play something for Grandpa and Grandma. Show what you can do.”

I strapped on my accordion, but missed a few notes. It wasn’t a Frankie Yankovic moment. I glanced over my sheet music and met Jake’s narrowed, smoldering eyes.

My body shook and the Pennsylvania Polka petered out. Launching from his chair, Jake towered over me and growled, “You can do better than that.”

After the show-gone-wrong, he disappeared. That is, he trailed his horrified parents out the door, enlisted in the Army, and peace descended on our home for three years. Upon his discharge, my parent’s marriage survived a few more months before Jake took off for unknown parts. Rumor had it he was living with a woman and her children. I have a hunch you were one of them, Walter.

I was eleven when your father and I crossed paths once more in his parents’ home at Christmas. Grandpa reading his paper, Grandma baking cookies, and I hanging their precioushundred-year-old-decorations on the tree were taken aback when their front door flew open. Jake blew in along with a wintry blast of cold air. My hands frantically sought a ladder rung, and one of their prized Polish glass ornaments hit the floor smashing into hundreds of glass shards.

He skimmed a look my way and muttered, “I might have known she was here.” Thrusting a wrapped gift into his father’s arms, he stalked into the kitchen, and tossed a few words to his mother. He scuttled out the rear door and I gulped for air, having held my breath throughout the apparition’s appearance.

Walter, fifty years was a long time to have never con-

nected. But Mike’s insatiable interest, ending in discovering a long-lost, halfuncle, was quite a bonus for him.

After hearing about your conversations regarding your growing-up-years, my own curiosity was piqued about why our father had a Jekyll and Hyde personality. I decided to quiz my mother, and even when she began fiddling with her rosary, I wasn’t prepared for what followed.

“Honey, I didn’t really think you needed to know this, because it doesn’t make any difference now, but Jake isn’t your father.”

“Who is?”

She sighed. “Jake’s brother. He and I were engaged when he was drafted. I wasn’t one bit upset when I discovered my pregnancy. We loved each other and planned on marrying during his eave. That all changed when a Vietnam ambush killed him. I was in a panic and told his grieving parents about our baby.

“You, sweetie, would have been their first grandchild, and after their initial shock, they suggested their other son, Jake, marry me. It might seem bizarre now, but Jake and I had a good relationship, and we thought we could work it out. However, it meant breaking up with his girlfriend, and in time Jake resented marrying me and took it out on you.”

That took some time to digest. But wondering what I did to disappoint Jake was significantly eased. I realized the girl Jake broke up with to marry my mother was your mother, Rebecca.

So, Walter, I’m not sure we’re related at all or where that leaves you and me.

Your Not-Half-Sister, Becky (named after your mother) P. S. Mike will be disappointed he doesn’t have a long-lost uncle after all.

Single Black Roses

by Richard Rimrodt

Ican tell Jill’s going to say something even as I’m hoping I’m wrong. “So what’s going on with the single black roses?” she asks over the top of her double chocolate chip Frappucino.

We’re sitting at our usual outside, post-workout table at the Starbucks on Tamami south of Bonita Beach Road. It’s a Friday morning ritual we started over a year ago after finishing at the gym.

Rather than meet Jill’s steady gaze, I fiddle around trying to get the top off my Mocha. While I realize it probably seems somewhat oxymoronic to spend an hour and a half at the gym three times a week and then head to Starbucks, we do limit ourselves only to Fridays. I hope that doesn’t say something bad about us.

“Morgan, you got another one, didn’t you? When?”

“A couple of days ago,” I acknowledge reluctantly.

“Morgan! So how many is this?”

“Four, maybe five.”

“The same single black rose, stuck beneath your windshield wiper?”

I nod, wishing Jill would stop, but knowing she won’t. It isn’t like this is our first conversation on the subject. I’m beginning to wish I’d never told her.

“Still no note, no card, no indication who’s leaving them?”

I shake my head. “Nothing. It’s always the same.” To avoid her hostile glare, I glance toward the parking lot where two older guys in shorts and T-shirts have stopped to check out Jill’s caramel brown Porsche Carrera convertible setting in the bright sunlight with the top down. The car’s spotless and shiny, standing in sharp contrast to my six-year-old Kia parked next to it which is badly in need of a wash.

“You haven’t called the sheriff, have you?”

“What would I tell them?”

“You tell them some pervert’s leaving these stupid roses on your windshield and you want them to investigate. They need to find out who’s doing this.”

“You don’t know it’s a pervert, or even a guy.”

“Morgan, please stop fooling around,” Jill pleads. “Some guy’s harassing you. I know you. You’re just going to wait ‘til it gets worse and something awful happens, right? You’re a single woman, living alone. Somebody’s putting black roses under your wiper blade so you’ll be sure to see them. You don’t think that’s a little strange?”

“They’re just roses.”

“They’re black roses!”

“Okay, they’re black roses. So what? Why are you making it sound so sinister.”

F ICTION • 2 NDPLACE

“Because,” Jill says as her finger tips inadvertently trace the faint residue of a scar which trails along her jaw line from just below her ear nearly to her throat. Leaning forward, she adds with an increased note of concern, “I don’t understand why you’re not more bothered by this.”

“Because it’s just a simple mystery, nothing more.”

“Morgan, it’s not a simple mystery.”

“Trust me, some day it’ll all become clear,” I insist. “No one’s been hurt. It’s not that big a deal.”

“Maybe not yet,” Jill persists. Pausing, she adds in her take no prisoners, don’t screw with me tone, “You have to call the sheriff.”

“And tell them what, exactly?” I repeat.

“For starters, how about you suggest they begin an investigation, check all the flower shops in the area, see if someone’s been buying single black roses.”

Can it be that when you have money you become less trusting? Besides the Porsche, I know Jill lives in a beautifully landscaped two plus million dollar high rise beach house on Little Hickory Island with a pool overlooking the Gulf and a stand of magnificent sentinel palms guarding the front. I drive by it every time I come to Bonita. She, for sure, has a heck of a lot more money than me.

Both of us live alone, more or less. My husband, really my ex-husband, moved back to Minneapolis last year. I haven’t seen him in over fifteen months. I can honestly say I don’t miss him. Jill’s husband, his name’s Don, flies in and out two or three times a week on his own plane, usually spending Tuesday or Wednesday nights and the odd weekend at the beach house. I have no idea what he does, exactly, having only met him once. I think he’s in finance or investing or something. Jill’s never been completely clear, and I don’t pry. I also think he’s a good dozen or more years older than she is, but I’ve never asked about that either.

Jill looks like she “belongs” with the Porsche, the beach house, and all the other trappings of her life. I’d use air quotes, but this is an inside thought which, admittedly, is rare for me. Her carefully highlighted blond hair is just the right length to be worn down or in a pony tail. Her clothes, or at least the ones I see, are always the latest coordinated spandex workout gear, designed to flatter your shape and keep you comfortable while you’re grunting and sweating. I, on the other hand, go in more for old T-shirts and relaxed-fit shorts.

“Has your management company checked the security cameras?” Jill asks.

“We don’t have security cameras.”

“You’re kidding! Can you see your car from your condo?”

“No. It’s an open parking lot. My unit overlooks the ponds which when I bought seemed like a better view. And besides, what do you want me to do, sit at my window all night until it happens again? Sometimes it’s days or even a couple of weeks. There’s no pattern.”

“We’ll install some cameras,” Jill says. “I can call our security guys and get it put together in a couple of days.”

“Are you crazy? I still don’t understand why you’re making this into such a big deal.”

“Morgan, I’m concerned about the threat level.”

“Threat level? What’s so threatening about a single black rose?”

Jill again fingers the scar which I’ve never noticed until now.

“Maybe you should think about moving.”

“Jill, I’m not going to move.”

“Do you have a gun?”

“Are you kidding?”

Jill leans forward. “I take it that’s a no.”

“A gun. Really?”

“Morgan, this is Florida. Everyone has a gun.”

“No. No guns.”

“We’ll get you a gun. I’ll take you to the range and teach you to shoot.”

“No.”

“Then what’re you going to do?”

“I’m hoping that whoever’s doing this will eventually get tired and just go away.”“You’ve got to be kidding! Don will be here tonight. I’m going to talk to him, see what he says. Maybe he knows someone who can help. I still think we should get our security people involved.”

All I can do is shake my head and concentrate on the dredges of chocolate in the bottom of my paper cup. Finally, I say, “Jill, I don’t have the budget for private security. I’m sorry.”

The two older guys who had been admiring Jill’s car have taken the table across from us and are earnestly talking politics and Washington over a pair of cappuccinos. They don’t seem particularly happy.

Before I can stop her, Jill calls up her best smile and says, “Excuse me, can you help us? We’ve got a bit of a problem and we’re wondering if you might have some suggestions.”

“Yeah, sure” the one on Jill’s side responds eagerly. “What’s going on?”

Jill briefly describes what’s been happening with the single black roses. They look immediately toward me, leaving me feeling more defenseless than I had when I first started finding the roses. Jill quickly finishes by adding she’d call the sheriff. “Morgan doesn’t think it would do any good.”

“Well,” the guy opposite me says, “I have to agree with her. I guess you could call them, but I don’t see what they’re going to do.”

“Thank you,” I say.

“I don’t agree,” the one opposite Jill says. “I think you have to do something. At the least, you should call the sheriff.”

So now it’s a committee of four, and still we have a split decision. Even as I try to reassure all of them I’m going to be okay, their expressions say they’re not so certain.

Having exhausted their options and opinions, the two guys shrug, apologize for their lack of helpfulness, and return to their earlier conversation regarding Washington and politics.

“Morgan,” Jill says earnestly, “ I just have this gut feeling this isn’t going to end well. Sometimes very bad things can start from something everyone brushes off as an innocent accident.”

“Tell me about the scar,” I say softly. “What happened? Does it have anything to do with something like this?”

“Nana, birds talking to me.”

Crows

by Judy Loose

“What are they saying, Jason?” Sara sat on the back steps of the townhouse deck with her three-year-old grandson. He had quite an imagination. The clatter of the crows was so loud she could hardly hear herself think. The noise irritated her, plucked at her nerves. The birds always congregated in the woods behind her home, but nothing like today. They must be migrating. Did crows migrate? Hundreds, maybe thousands of blue-black wings filled the sky, landing in the woods behind the condo complex. Some were huge, maybe ravens. Did ravens and crows hang out together? The way they were gathering was creepy. It made Sara nervous.

Her grandson was talking. “I’m sorry, Jason. Nana wasn’t paying attention. What did you say?” The din of the birds was distracting.

“They say, ‘come... come... come with me.’” Jason cocked his head. “Can’t you hear, Nana?” He almost looked like a bird. Thin and pale with dark hair and eyes. When he ran, his little arms flapped in the breeze like a baby bird trying to fly.

She listened to the cawing, and it did sound like come… come... “I hear it, but they’re probably calling to each other. It looks like they’re having a big crow party.”

“We go to party, Nana? My birthday. Jason’s three.” A Halloween baby. Tonight was Halloween.

“You’re having a party tonight, baby. Everyone will be here. Mommy and Daddy, all your cousins and friends. Everyone’s going to dress up.” Too bad Jason’s birthday landed on Halloween, hard to distinguish between birthday and holiday.

“Let’s go in and get ready.” She stood and took his hand to lift him to his feet.

“No, Nana. Birds talking to me.” Jason pulled away. He still had some of that terrible-twos attitude and disagreed with everything.

“OK, Jason. But let’s listen to them from inside. Nana has some cooking to do.”

“I wanna stay here.” He plunked himself down on the steps and folded his arms tightly against his chest.

“You can stay but don’t leave the deck.” Sara didn’t want to argue; she could see him from the kitchen.

As she stirred batter for a cake, Sara watched Jason through the window. He turned and looked at her every few minutes, grinned, waved, then returned to concentrating on the birds. She mixed orange and chocolate frostings, washed dishes, put things away…stopping now and then to peek out at her grandson.

Finished with her chores, she opened the door to call him. No Jason. Her heart squeezed and her breath stopped. He couldn’t have wandered far. He’d waved at her only minutes ago. Sara scanned the yard and spotted him sitting in the grass by the trees. The air escaped her lungs like an explosion.

He was surrounded by birds. So many birds. What were they doing? Silence, no cawing. Sara panicked and stumbled down the steps. As she ran toward Jason, the crows flew, blackening the sky, the whir of wings so strong her clothes swirled around her. Sara’s heart drummed against her ribs, banged in her ears. She thought it would burst by the time she reached Jason and grabbed him.

“Nana, you scared them.” He started to wail, and the crows wailed with him, screeching all around…in the trees, from the roof…as Sara hurried to her house and slammed the door behind her. Jason yowled in her arms.

By the time they’d dressed for the party and the guests had arrived, Jason was happy and playing again. He joined the children and a few adults trick-or-treating. Sara felt silly about her reaction to the birds that afternoon. She told no one. The birds must have landed in the grass, and Jason couldn’t resist. But why didn’t they fly away? They only flew when she ran from the house.

The doors were open to the warm night air. “Do you hear those crows?” She could hear them cawing, calling out, Jason... Jason... What an imagination she had, worse than her grandson’s. But weren’t crows usually quiet at night?

Looking out, she could see their black bodies flying, covering the sky, blocking out the moon. She shivered and returned to the warmth of the party. Where were the trickor-treaters? She wished with all her heart they would return with their candy.

Noise at the front door drew her attention and the children piled in, grinning and chattering and comparing their take. Jason sailed by her and out the back door before she could stop him.

“Jason!” she screamed. “Don’t go out there!” Everyone stared as she sprinted after her grandson.

No Jason on the deck or in the yard. She flipped on the outside lights. Nothing. No child, no birdsº no noise. The emptiness chilled her.

“Jason!” Sara was frantic. Adults carrying flashlights poured into the yard, searching, crashing into the woods. No Jason.

ILLUSTRATIONBY CAROLYN ARCABASCIO

Sobbing, Sara sank into the grass. “The crows took him,” she said over and over.

Someone called 911. When the police came to organize the search, they sent Sara to the hospital in an ambulance.

A mild stroke, the doctors said. When she told people about the crows, they thought she was hallucinating, her mind scrambled. Sara knew better.

She returned home two weeks later, Jason still missing. The official opinion: kidnapping. Easy to take a child with crowds of children in the streets. No one would notice a stranger enticing a child into a car and speeding away.

Sara brooded around her house, seeing Jason in every corner. He would never visit her again. Her heart was broken. She pictured him sitting in the grass surrounded by crows, talking to them. No Jason, no crows. Silence.

A year passed, and the crows never returned. Not even the few who usually hung out in the woods during

the summer. Halloween came, Jason’s birthday. No party this year. Sara had no treats for the youngsters ringing her bell. She turned off the front light and slipped out the door to her deck.

She stared across the lawn to the spot she remembered seeing Jason. Why was she torturing herself? She should move from this place. But something kept her here, some illogical hope that he would return. The night carried the voices of children as they skipped from house to house.

Sara sat on the steps. Tears rolled down her cheeks. And then they came. Thousands of crows glistening in the moonlight descended on the lawn in front of her. What were they saying? Nana? No, just cawing. So loud she couldn’t bear it.

As she stood to go inside, a giant crow landed on the railing. “Nana?”

Sara collapsed on the rough wood floor. The sky filled with crows and ravens... cawing... calling her. Sara... Sara... Nana... and the air from their wings lifted her, lifted her into the black night, floating, flying with Jason flying beside her.

Acceptance

by Richard H.Fox

the otolaryngologist tolls You’ve got a tumor at the base of your tongue — but you knew that Take this paperwork to Tammi, she’ll set up a biopsy stagger the hallway ceiling lights disco-ball fireflies punctuate the walls

clip the door frame with an elbow turn a corner into the reception room drop forms on Tammi’s desk smile (I think)

room shimmers clever gold fetching mauve feel my body gone slackfaint wake to Tammi’s waist asking Are you okay?

Life Lessons

by Patricia Herchuk Sheehy

The envelope was stuffed in the mailbox between bills and circulars and three catalogs. I thought for sure it was a wedding invitation — thick white vellum, my name handwritten in black ink in a style I could never master. Instead, it was an invitation to my 25th high school reunion. Obviously, a mistake. Standing on the sidewalk, the rest of the mail tucked under one arm, I did a quick calculation on my fingers. There was no mistake. Twenty-five years had come and gone and the class of 1964 wanted to celebrate. As I write this, nearly three more decades have passed and, still, memories and regrets slip along the edges of my mind.

I placed the invitation on my kitchen counter, allowing it to taunt me for weeks before deciding to attend. Maybe going back — reconnecting with my past, seeing the truth of myself and how others saw me — maybe it would help my rocky passage through middle age. I worried, though, that I hadn’t changed enough. Then I worried that nobody would remember me and those who did wouldn’t care. Mostly, I worried that this might be my last chance to apologize.

single candy for Easter instead of an entire basket. Janice and I looked at each other, our eyes rolling until only the whites showed, our lips tightening in a side smirk.

Apparently this was a lesson in growing up. And we didn’t like it. Not one bit.

As it turned out, it was the smaller of two lessons meted out that Sunday. The next was mine alone.

My best friend was Cheryl, a towering large-framed black girl with jet-colored hair and brown eyes. I was a short, small-boned, white girl with sandy brown hair and hazel eyes. We were in the seventh grade and nearly inseparable.

After church, I was about to run across the street to share my coconut egg with Cheryl when my father stopped me. He was a man of his time — and this was a time when neighbors accused one another of being communists, and most white people thought Little Rock should remain segregated — and so he worried a lot. He worried about racial mixing and what the neighbors would think about whatever his kids did.

“You have to stop seeing her,” he said. “You’re getting older and boys might get involved. It’s not right anymore.”

It was Easter Sunday, 1958. At twelve, I was the oldest of four children. A blue-collar family, we’d fallen on hard times and now lived in a housing project. But my parents were quick to remind us that we weren’t real “project kids” — we’d stumbled into this world and would soon forge our way out — and we needed to understand how life worked beyond our brick compound. Simply put, that meant there were examples to set, rules to follow, lessons to learn. Lots of lessons. That Easter Sunday was no exception.

As soon as I woke, dressed in flannel pajamas, my hair in pin curls protected by an open weave brown net, I padded into the living room ready to sneak candy from the bounty I’d come to expect. Every Easter, we each received a basket brimming with marshmallow animals, jelly beans and malted eggs. Always a few plastic toys, a paddle and ball, and, in the center, a chocolate bunny with a sugar bow tie. Well, the Easter Bunny had come all right, leaving behind the expected baskets for the younger two. But all my sister Janice (younger than me by one year) and I received was a large chocolate-covered coconut egg, something along the lines of an oversized Mounds bar.

Mom and Dad were a united front against our disappointment. As children get older, they explained, things change. From now on, there would be one major present for Christmas, maybe two, instead of six or seven, and a

I knew I should say something. I should argue. I should defend my friendship. But I didn’t. Clutching the box with the chocolate egg, running my thumb across the cellophane top, I just kept looking up at him. And I said nothing. Finally, he let me go. “This one last time,” he cautioned.

I remember walking really fast, across the street and around the bend, out of my father’s view. When I knew he couldn’t see me, I slowed down. Cheryl’s building was the next one on my right and I needed time to think. But I didn’t know how to think about all this and so I just shuffled my feet across the sidewalk for a while scuffing up my new good shoes. Eventually, I opened up the heavy door to her building and climbed the stairs to the second floor.

Cheryl grinned as she let me in, seeing the candy in my hand. I entered shyly, suddenly a stranger in this familiar place. In her kitchen, I positioned a serrated knife on top of the egg, ready to slice off half, ready to share my Easter candy with my best friend. Just before pressing down through chocolate and coconut, I moved the knife slightly to the right, slicing off a piece for her much smaller than I’d intended. Already I had begun the process of betrayal.

After that, it was never the same. I stopped calling for her on the way to school. I walked home the long way, by myself, tagging behind kids I didn’t know to make it seem like I was with them. And every time she asked, I lied about why I couldn’t see her. I couldn't tell her the truth. What could I possibly say about something I didn’t understand myself? And I could no longer look her in the eyes. Finally

she stopped asking. In high school, we’d wave to each other across the wide hallways. But that was it. It never felt hostile, just separate. And lonely.

Two years after graduation, we were still in the project and it was me, alone, who moved away. Only for a while, but long enough to discover life through a lens unfiltered by the shield of family love. Vietnam was in full swing. Racial tension was high. Riots were breaking out everywhere. Living on my own, I realized how harsh life can be. And how hard it is to protect the ones you love. That’s all my father had been doing. Forbidding me to see Cheryl was his attempt at sheltering me — and maybe himself — from a world that judged too much, tolerated too little. Yet, in obeying him, I’d betrayed myself. I was one of the masses who did nothing. Even as the adult in me was starting to change, standing up in little ways for what I believed in, I continued to be embarrassed by the young girl who didn’t fight for her best friend. *

At the reunion, I was surprised so many classmates remembered me. Swept up in a sea of squeals and recognition, of hand-grabbing and hugs, I found myself bridging past and present with long-forgotten stories. I squeezed my husband’s hand, glad he was witness to this moment of acceptance and closure. Only one thing was left to be done. I kept scanning the room, wandering from

group to group, asking others if they’d seen her. They hadn’t. And nobody knew if she was coming.

The lights flickered, signaling dinner was about to be served. We sat at the table I’d scoped out as soon as we’d arrived, leaving my purse behind to save our seats. It was near the door, perfect for the early escape I no longer desired. I was toying with my salad, when my eyes caught the movement of white chiffon. “That’s her.” I nudged my husband. “That’s Cheryl.” There she was, framed by the doorway, a large woman in a caftan-style dress, her once long jet hair now cropped close, dusted with gray. She broke into that familiar grin, nodding her head and pointing a finger toward me. All those years, and the recognition was instantaneous.

I watched as Cheryl moved toward me, and when I was absolutely certain she was headed my way, I pushed back my chair and stood up. We hugged, tentatively at first. Then tighter. And then tighter still. I breathed in her scent and quickly broke away, knowing I had only a few seconds before the world would claim her.

I took hold of Cheryl’s hands and, for the first time in decades, looked unflinchingly into her brown eyes. “I always loved you,” I told her.

“I know, Patty,” she said. “I’ve always known.”

Her voice was soft, her look direct, and in that moment I realized that she really did know. She knew all of it.

And I have to live with that.

Year-End Giving

by Teresa Boyle Falsani

Fearing marrow cold and a scolding wind, I let the feeders empty in the trees. Finches and siskins soon fly off chagrined-yet still come ‘round the constant chickadees, scratching for crumbs, despite my indolence and others who feed them more reliably. All day they linger, their hungry patience tracking tiny runes on the snow, urging me to shed this selfish chrysalis, take up the simplest razor, reach deep into the bin and scrape my last dark seeds into a cup-a meager offering, poor but genuine. Then, mute as dusk, I stand and wait to hear their winged rustle silken in my ear.

by Judy Loose

Dan hated his new teeth. Just uppers, not lowers. He still had his own bottom choppers. The plate fit improperly and hurt when he chewed, so he liked to remove it when he ate.

Living alone, he often dined out or picked up something to go rather than cook. On this particular hot summer night, coming home late from work, he decided to stop for pizza. The pizza shop was full, so he took his food with him. Enticing smells rose from the seat beside him in the car — mushroom, pepperoni, extra cheese. He could almost taste it. For a while he resisted, but it was a long drive. Opening the box, he grabbed a slice.

Of course, the teeth were extracted before the first bite.

Cruising down the highway, he continued eating. Not the safest way to operate; worse than texting while driving. Soon the pizza box sat empty. Almost home, he spotted a Dumpster behind the grocery store across the street. He lifted the empty box and tossed it. Perfect shot, right into the trash.

Home at last, he collapsed in front of the television before his nightly ritual — shower, dress for bed, clean his teeth... No teeth!

Dan pulled a pair of jeans over his pajama bottoms, found a flashlight, and headed for his car. He searched the seats, under the seats, in every crack and crevice. No teeth!

There could be only one answer. He drove back to the grocery store. Did he really want to go Dumpster diving? What were his choices? Forget it and get another set of teeth? But teeth cost big bucks. He didn’t have money to throw away. Child support for five boys, two in college, helped make the decision.

Dan looked around to see if anyone was watching. The store had closed and no people roamed the streets. He tried leaning over the side of the container, shining his flashlight to see.

No teeth!

He hoisted himself up and dropped into the nightly trash. Luckily, it held mostly boxes and not much food. His pizza box sat on top, wide open and empty, so he proceeded to rummage through the debris. No teeth!

He heard a blip of a siren and a blue light flashed against the wall of the store. A head peeked over the top of the Dumpster, and a light blinded him.

“Police.”

Dan climbed out and brushed himself off. “Looking for something I lost,” he tried to explain.

“Dan?” The policeman lowered his flashlight and laughed. “What are you doing in there?”

Dan recognized Sam, his niece Marcy’s father-in-law.

“I threw away a pizza box and tossed something with it.”

“Why no shirt?”

“I was ready for bed when it dawned on me.”

“What did you lose?”

Dan hesitated. He didn’t want to tell him. Embarrassing!

“Come on, man. What’s so important you’d go digging through the garbage in the middle of the night?”

“My teeth.”

Sam doubled over, his laughter escaping like hiccups. “Oh, man. Wait ‘til I tell the guys.”

“Don’t tell Marcy.”

Still chuckling, Sam went back to his cruiser and drove off.

Dan decided to give up and go home. Walking back to his car he spotted something shiny in the middle of the street. Taking a closer look, he realized...

His teeth!

He leaned to pick them up, but they were imbedded in the asphalt. Apparently, they’d been run over a time or two. He found a screwdriver in his trunk and dug out the teeth, only to discover a crack down the middle. He was tempted to toss them, but changed his mind.

Asphalt covered the broken teeth, but stubborn Dan dropped them into a jar and filled it with paint thinner.

The next day he examined the dentures and decided the crack could be fixed. He found some crazy glue at work, glued them together, and clamped them in a vise.

It worked. They felt better than before they broke, but a faint taste of solvent lingered for a few days.

Dan wore those teeth for three more years before getting new ones.

Note: This is a true story as told to me by Dan, who is no longer with us, so the story can’t be verified. Any embellishments on the truth are his. I did see the teeth with the crack that had been crazy-glued. No sign of the asphalt, but the teeth looked a little gray.

SOUTHERN TECHNICAL COLLEGE

24311 Walden Center Drive • # 101

221-7249

1685 Medical Lane

689-2000

• BONITA SPRINGS

• FORT MYERS

info@go2southern.com

www.southerntech.edu

298 Havendale Boulevard • AUBURNDALE • 863-551-1112

608 East Bloomingdale Avenue

2799 W. Old US Highway 441

1485 Florida Mall Avenue

2910 S. Orlando Drive

• BRANDON • 813-654-8800

• MOUNT DORA • 352-383-4242

• ORLANDO • 407-270-1435

• SANFORD • 407-323-4141

950 Tamiami Trail • Suite 109

3910 Riga Boulevard

• TAMPA

• PORT CHARLOTTE • 941-391-8890

• 813-620-4577

At Southern Technical College, our career training programs are designed to help you reach your career goals. Students can choose from a variety of career training programs taught by industry professionals, flexible schedules to fit their needs and experience a class environment designed around different learning styles. STC offers quality career training in the growing fields of Allied Health, Business, Design, Education, Information Technology, Legal Studies, Nursing and Technical Trades. Financial Aid is available for those who qualify. Contact an admissions representative at your local campus to schedule a personal campus tour.

Barry University’s School of Professional And Career Education (PACE) offers accelerated bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. Whether online or in the classroom, you’ll find programs that are designed to meet your needs. You’ll learn from faculty that are qualified and experienced, all within a supportive and flexible learning environment.

FLORIDA SOUTHWESTERN STATE COLLEGE

Lee County (Thomas Edison Campus)

8099 College Parkway • FORT MYERS

239-489-9300

Collier County

7505 Grand Lely Drive • NAPLES

239-732-3700

Charlotte County

26300 Airport Road • PUNTA GORDA

941-637-5629

Hendry/Glades Counties

1092 E. Cowboy Way • LABELLE

863-674-0408

admissions@FSW.edu

www.FSW.edu

Florida SouthWestern State College is Southwest Florida's largest institution of higher education, serving over 21,200 students annually. FSW offers a variety of academic programs, two- and four-year degrees, professional certifications, and affordable tuition. Our vibrant student life is filled with intercollegiate athletics, on-campus housing, and student clubs and activities.

EVERGLADES UNIVERSITY

6001 Lake Osprey Drive • Suite 110

SARASOTA

866-907-2262 • 941-907-2262

info@evergladesuniversity.edu

www.EvergladesUniversity.edu

5002 T-Rex Avenue • Suite 100

BOCA RATON(Main Campus)

888-772-6077 • 561-912-1211

Online Division

5002 T-Rex Avenue • Suite 200 • BOCA RATON

855-723-9087 • 561-912-2166

850 Trafalgar Court • Suite 100 • MAITLAND

866-289-1078 • 407-277-0311

Off-Campus Instructional Site

5225 Memorial Highway • TAMPA

844-297-1715 • 813-868-8160

Everglades University is an accredited university offering bachelor's and master's degree programs in Alternative and Renewable Energy, Construction, Surveying Management, Alternative Medicine, Aviation/Aerospace, Hospitality Management, and Crisis & Disaster just to name a few. The university provides small class sizes and convenient scheduling to accommodate working students and adult learners.

July 1 Friday

•Art Reception: Alliance for the Arts, 10091 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. 5-7p. Free. 939-2787.

•Art Reception: Art League of Fort Myers, 1451 Monroe St, Ft Myers. 6-8p. Free. 275-3970.

•Art Reception: Arts for ACT Gallery, 2265 1st St, Ft Myers. 6-10p. Free. 3375050.

•Art Reception: Center for the Arts Bonita Springs, 26100 Old 41 Rd, Bonita Springs.68p. Free. 495-8989.

•Art Walk: Receptions, exhibits, demos, live music at severalgalleries & studios in downtown Ft Myers’ historic River District. 610p.Free. 855-732-3836.

•Book Signing: Author Cornell Bunting. Davis Art Center, 2301 1st St, Ft Myers.6-10p. Free. 333-1933.

•Disney’s 101 Dalmations Kids: Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, 1380 Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers. Lunch 12p –show 1p. 278-4422.

•Myke Herlihy & Kevin White: Comedy. Laugh-In Comedy Cafe, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7:30 & 9:30p. 479-5233.

•Rastus Kain: Blues. The Barrel Room, Twisted Vine Bistro, 2214 Bay St, Ft Myers. 8:30p 333-2225.

•Square One Improv Group: Benefit dinner show. SWFL Performing Arts Center, 11515 Bonita Beach Rd, #101, Bonita Springs. 7:30p. 389-6901.

•The Betty Fox Band: Buckingham Blues Bar, 5641 Buckingham Rd, Ft Myers. 5:30-10p. 693-7111.

Saturday

•Art Walk: Receptions, exhibits, demos, live music at severalgalleries & studios in downtown Ft Myers’ historic River District. 11a4p.Free. 855-732-3836.

•Independence Day Celebration: Live music, kids entertainment, fireworks. Miromar Outlets, 10801 Corkscrew Rd, Estero. 6-10p. 948-3766.

•Myke Herlihy & Kevin White: Comedy. Laugh-In Comedy Cafe, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7:30 & 9:30p. 479-5233.

•Ramos Brothers: Concert. Momentum Brewhouse, 9786 Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. 6-9p. 949-9945.

4 Monday

•Films for Film Lovers: ‘Broken Embraces’. Center for the Arts Bonita Springs, 10150Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. 7p. 4958989.

•Freedom Fest: Live music by Brittany Russell Band, kids zone, fireworks. Along Hendry St btwn Bay St & Edwards Dr, downtown Ft Myers’ historic River District. 6-10p. Free.

5 Tuesday

•Art Reception: Harbour View Gallery, 5789 Cape Harbour Dr, #104, Cape Coral. 6-8p.Free. 540-5789.

7 Thursday

•Art Reception: ACSWFL Co-op Gallery, Coconut Mall, 8074 Mediterranean Dr, FtMyers, 4-6p. Free. 949-3073.

•First Celebrates Freedom: Patriotic music concert & sing-along benefit. First Presbyterian Church, 2438 Second St, Ft Myers. 7p. Free. 334-2261.

•RC Smith & Steve Laslow: Comedy. Laugh-In Comedy Cafe, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7:30 & 9:30p. 479-5233.

•Syreeta Banks’ Broadway Soul: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

8 Friday

•Devon Myers: Concert. Momentum Brewhouse, 9786 Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. 6-9p. 9499945.

•Logan Dressel: Strong Side Draw, Dairy Trash. Concert. The Ranch Concert Hall & Saloon, 2158 Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers. 7p. 985-9839.

•RC Smith & Steve Laslow: Comedy. Laugh-In Comedy Cafe, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7:30 & 9:30p. 479-5233.

•Syreeta Banks’ Broadway Soul: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

9 Saturday

•Improve Café Youth Improv: Live comedy. Center for the Arts Bonita Springs, 10150 Bonita Veach Rd, Bonita Springs. 4p. 495-8989.

•Improve Tonight: Live comedy. Center for the Arts Bonita Springs, 10150 Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. 8p. 495-8989.

•J Robert – Florida Fiddler Show: Marco Players Theater, Marco Town Center Mall, 1089 N Collier Blvd, Marco Island. 8p. 642-7270.

•John Russo’s Rat Pack Tribute: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

•RC Smith & Steve Laslow: Comedy. Laugh-In Comedy Cafe, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers.

•Rebekah Pulley, Barbara Chamberlain: Concert. Americana Community Music Association Listening Room, All Faiths Unitarian Congregation, 2756 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. 7p. Donations. 6914069.

•The Wilder Sons: Live music. Ft Myers Brewing Co, 12811 Commerce Lakes Dr, # 27, Ft Myers. 7:30p. 313-6576.

10 Sunday

•John Russo’s Rat Pack Tribute: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

11 Monday

•Films for Film Lovers: ‘Nicky’s Family’. Center for the Arts Bonita Springs, 10150Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. 7p. 4958989.

13 Wednesday

•Art Reception: Shangri-La Springs, 27750 Old US 41, Bonita Springs. Mon-Fri 69. Free. 949-0749.

•Bobby James: Live music. Ft Myers Brewing Co, 12811 Commerce Lakes Dr, # 27, Ft Myers. 6:30p. 313-6576.

•Sierra Club Meeting: Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium, 3450 Ortiz Ave, Ft Myers. 6p. Open to public. 275-3435.

14 Thursday

•Art Reception: Visual Arts Center, 210 Maud St, Punta Gorda. 5p. Free. 941-6398810.

•Evening on Fifth: Live music, dancing, art demos &exhibits, dining, shopping

Church, 7401 Winkler Rd, Ft Myers. 10a-12p. Free. 247-4515.

•Mark Chestnutt: Concert. The Ranch Concert Hall & Saloon, 2158 Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers. 7p. 9859839.

•MangoMania: Food fest, contests, live music, arts & crafts, kids’ activities, Mango Queenparade. Pine Island. 11a-7p. Free. 2830888.

•Mo Alexander & Kyle Ruse: Comedy. Laugh-In Comedy Cafe, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 479-5233.

•Robin’s Barbra & Frank at the Movies: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

•SummerJazz on the Gulf: Vodkanauts.Free waterfront concert on Watkins Lawn. Naples Beach Hotel, 851 Gulf Shore Blvd N, Naples. 6:30-9:30p. 2612222.

along 5th Ave S, Naples. 6:30-9:30p. Free.6928436.

•Kristofer Geddie’s Back to Before: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

•Mo Alexander & Kyle Ruse: Comedy. Laugh-In Comedy Cafe, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7:30 & 9:30p. 479-5233.

•SWFL Photographic Society Meeting: Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium, 3450 Ortiz Ave, Ft Myers. 6p. Open to public. 2753435.

15 Friday

•Kristofer Geddie’s Back to Before: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

•Mo Alexander & Kyle Ruse: Comedy. Laugh-In Comedy Cafe, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7:30 & 9:30p. 479-5233.

•Music Walk: Live music & dancing at several cafes, clubs &galleries. Downtown Ft Myers’ historic River District. 6-10p. Free. 855-732-3836.

16 Saturday

•Artists@Work: Fiber Arts with Rose Young. Interactive demos. Macy’s Court, Edison Mall. 4125 Cleveland Ave, Ft Myers. 1-3p. Free. 939-2787.

•Bob Night: Host Andy Getch.

Americana Community Music Association Listening Room, All Faiths Unitarian Congregation, 2756 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. 7p. Donations. 691-4069.

•Gulf Coast Writers Association Meeting: Zion Lutheran

•The Princess, the Beast & the Shee an Gannon: The CRAIC Show Neo-Renaissance theatrical performance. Foulds Theatre, Alliance for the Arts, 10091 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. 7:30p. 939-2787.

17 Sunday

•Dorian & The Furniture: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

•MangoMania: Food fest, contests, live music, arts & crafts, kids’ activities, Mango Queenparade. Pine Island. 11a-5p. Free. 2830888.

•Robin’s Barbra & Frank at the Movies: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

18 Monday

•Films for Film Lovers: ‘Therese’. Center for the Arts Bonita Springs, 10150Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. 7p. 495-8989.

21 Thursday

•Jay Hewlett & Keith Bergman: Comedy. LaughIn Comedy Cafe, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7:30 & 9:30p. 479-5233.

•Kasanofskys’ Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

22 Friday

•Jay Hewlett & Keith Bergman: Comedy. LaughIn Comedy Cafe, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7:30 & 9:30p. 479-5233.

•Kasanofskys’ Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre,

Centers for the Arts Bonita Springs presents Improv Tonight on July 9. Call 495-8989 for information.

140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

•Martin & Lewis – A Tribute: Cultural Park Theater, 528 Cultural Park Blvd, Cape Coral. 8p. 772-5862.

•Pet Walk: Hendry St btwn Bay St & Edwards Dr, downtown Ft Myers. 6-8p. Free. 793-7529.

•Reverend Billy Wirtz: Concert. Buckingham Blues Bar, 5641 Buckingham Rd, Ft Myers. 9p-12a. 6937111.

•Sinning Sirens: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

23 Saturday

•Deb & The Dynamics: Blues band. Center for the Arts Bonita Springs, 10150 Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. 8p. 495-8989.

•Hannibal Buress: Comedian. BB Mann Hall, 13350 Edison Pkwy, Ft Myers. 8p. 481-4849.

•J Robert Houghtaling, Kip Lawrence: Concert. Americana Community Music Association Listening Room, All Faiths Unitarian Congregation, 2756 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. 7p. Donations. 691-4069.

•Jay Hewlett & Keith Bergman: Comedy. Laugh-In Comedy Cafe, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 479-5233.

•Laughter is the Best Medicine Comedy Night: Benefit. Davis Art Center, 2301 1st St, Ft Myers.8p. 3331933.

•Lynn Purmort’s Music From Around the World: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

•Martin & Lewis – A Tribute: Cultural Park Theater, 528 Cultural Park Blvd, Cape Coral. 8p. 7725862.

•Sinning Sirens: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

•Square One Improv: Live comedy. Marco Players Theater, Marco Town Center Mall, 1089 N. Collier Blvd, Marco Island. 8p. 404-5198.

24

Sunday

•Alyssa Hunek’s Then & Now: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

•Lynn Purmort’s Music From Around the World: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

•Martin & Lewis – A Tribute: Cultural Park Theater, 528 Cultural Park Blvd, Cape Coral. 3p. 772-5862.

25 Monday

•Films for Film Lovers: ‘Amelie’. Center for the Arts Bonita Springs, 10150 Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. 7p. 495-8989.

27 Wednesday

•Bobby James: Live music. Ft Myers Brewing Co, 12811 Commerce Lakes Dr, # 27, Ft Myers. 6:30p. 313-6576.

28 Thursday

•Janet ‘Tennessee Tramp’ Williams & Catherine Maloney: Comedy. Laugh-In Comedy Cafe, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7:30 & 9:30p. 479-5233.

•Sentimental Journey with Matthew Ryder: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

29 Friday

•Fifth Friday on First: Live blues music on several stages, food sampling, shopping in historic Ft Myers River District. 6-9p. Free. 945-0405.

•Good Bad Kids: Live music. Ft Myers Brewing Co, 12811 Commerce Lakes Dr, # 27, Ft Myers. 6:30p. 313-6576.

•Janet ‘Tennessee Tramp’ Williams & Catherine Maloney: Comedy. Laugh-In Comedy Cafe, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7:30 & 9:30p. 479-5233.

•The Naked Magic Show: BB Mann Hall, 13350 Edison Pkwy, Ft Myers. 8p. 4814849.

30 Saturday

•Eric’s Cole Porter, Banned in Boston: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

•Henry Ford’s 153rd Birthday: Cake 10a, behind-thescenes tours of The Mangoes, Ford’s winter home 11a, 12 & 1p. Edison & Ford Winter Estates, 2350 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. 10a-2p. 334-7419.

•Janet ‘Tennessee Tramp’ Williams & Catherine Maloney: Comedy. Laugh-In Comedy Cafe, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 479-5233.

•Kristina’s Late Night Jam Sessions: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

31 Sunday

•Eric’s Cole Porter, Banned in Boston: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

•Orphelia: Black Sheep Visions performance. Alliance for the Arts, 10091 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. 6p. 939-2787.

•Sentimental Journey with Matthew Ryder: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

August 1 Monday

•Films for Film Lovers: ‘Young & Beautiful’. Center for the Arts Bonita Springs, 10150Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. 7p. 4958989.

•Movie Mondays: Independent film screening, prefilm cocktail reception, post-film discussion.Davis Art Center, 2301 1st St, Ft Myers. 6:30p. 333-1933.

2 Tuesday

•Art Reception: Harbour View Gallery, 5789 Cape Harbour Dr, #104, Cape Coral. 6-8p.Free. 5405789.

3 Wednesday

•Ron Howard: Live music. Ft Myers Brewing Co,

12811 Commerce Lakes Dr, # 27, Ft Myers. 6:30p. 3136576.

4 Thursday

•Art Reception: ACSWFL Co-op Gallery, Coconut Mall, 8074 Mediterranean Dr, FtMyers, 4-6p. Free. 949-3073.

•Coleman Green & Chris Buck: Comedy. Laugh-In Comedy Cafe, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7:30 & 9:30p. 479-5233.

•Corda Voce – Six Strings

Attached: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

5 Friday

•Art Reception: Alliance for the Arts, 10091 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. 5-7p. Free. 939-2787.

•Art Reception: Art League of Fort Myers, 1451 Monroe St, Ft Myers. 6-8p. Free. 275-3970.

•Art Reception: Center for the Arts Bonita Springs, 26100 Old 41 Rd, Bonita Springs.6-8p. Free. 4958989.

•Art Walk: Receptions, exhibits, demos, live music at severalgalleries & studios in downtown Ft Myers’ historic River District. 610p.Free. 855-732-3836.

•Coleman Green & Chris Buck: Comedy. Laugh-In Comedy Cafe, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7:30 & 9:30p. 479-5233.

•Corda Voce – Six Strings Attached: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

•JP Soars & The Red Hots: Concert. Buckingham Blues Bar, 5641 Buckingham Rd, Ft Myers. 9p-12a. 693-7111.

•Random Acts: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

•Sammy, Liza & Frank – The Ultimate Tribute: Cultural Park Theater, 528 Cultural Park Blvd, Cape Coral. 8p. 772-5862.

6 Saturday

•Alana & Rachels’ American Songbook: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

•Art Reception: Arts for ACT Gallery, 2265 1st St, Ft Myers. 6-10p. Free. 3375050.

• A r t W a l k : Re ceptions, exhibits, demos, live music at severalgalleries & studios in downtown Ft Myers’ historic River District. 11a-4p.Free. 855732-3836.

•

lege Pkwy, Ft Myers. 4795233.

•Mean Mary, Scott Lee Dozier: Concert. Americana Community Music Association Listening Room, All Faiths Unitarian Congregation, 2756 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. 7p. Donations. 691-4069.

•Random Acts: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

•Recycled Percussion: Concert. SWFL Performing Arts Center, 11515 Bonita Beach Rd, #101, Bonita Springs. 4p. 389-6901.

•Sammy, Liza & Frank – The Ultimate Tribute: Cultural Park Theater, 528 Cultural Park Blvd, Cape Coral. 8p. 772-5862.

7 Sunday

•Alana & Rachels’ American Songbook: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

•Sammy, Liza & Frank – The Ultimate Tribute: Cultural Park Theater, 528 Cultural Park Blvd, Cape Coral. 3p. 772-5862.

8 Monday

•Films for Film Lovers: ‘We have a Pope’. Center for the Arts Bonita Springs, 10150 Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. 7p. 4958989.

10 Wednesday

•Art Reception: Shangri-La Springs, 27750 Old US 41, Bonita Springs. Mon-Fri 69. Free. 949-0749.

•Bobby James: Live music. Ft Myers Brewing Co, 12811 Commerce Lakes Dr, # 27, Ft Myers. 6:30p. 3136576.

11 Thursday

•Carmen Ciricillo & Brian Corrion: Comedy. Laugh-In Comedy Cafe, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7:30 & 9:30p. 479-5233.

•Evening on Fifth: Live music, dancing, art demos &exhibits, dining, shopping along 5th Ave S, Naples. 6:30-9:30p. Free.6928436.

•John Lariviere’s Sinatra Songbook: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

12 Friday

•Carmen Ciricillo & Brian Corrion: Comedy. Laugh-In Comedy Cafe, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7:30 & 9:30p. 479-5233.

&

Buck: Comedy. Laugh-In Comedy Cafe, 8595 Col-

•John Lariviere’s Sinatra Songbook: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W

Janet ‘Tennessee Tramp’ Williams is appearing at the Laugh In Comedy Cafe in Fort Myers, July 28-30. For information, call 479-5233.

what Goes on

Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

•Kristina’s Late Night Jam Sessions: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

13 Saturday

•Carmen Ciricillo & Brian Corrion: Comedy. LaughIn Comedy Cafe, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 479-5233.

•J Robert – Florida Fiddler Show: Marco Players Theater, Marco Town Center Mall, 1089 N Collier Blvd, Marco Island. 8p. 6427270.

•Michele & David’s Falling in Love Again: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

14

Sunday

•Michele & David’s Falling in Love Again: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

15

Monday

• F i l m s f o r F i l m L o v e r s : ‘The Attack’. Center for the Arts Bonita Springs, 10150 Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. 7p. 4958989.

18 Thursday

•Disgruntled Clown: Comedy. Laugh-In Comedy Cafe, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7:30 & 9:30p. 4795233.

•Laurie & Friends’ Songs in the Key of Pink: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

19

demos. Macy’s Court, Edison Mall. 4125 Cleveland Ave, Ft Myers. 1-3p. Free. 939-2787.

•Charles Logan’s Born This Way: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

•Disgruntled Clown: Comedy. Laugh-In Comedy Cafe, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 479-5233.

•Gulf Coast Writers Association Meeting: Zion Lutheran Church, 7401 Winkler Rd, Ft Myers. 10a-12p. Free. 247-4515.

•Random Acts: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

•SummerJazz on the Gulf: Betty Fox Band.Free waterfront concert on Watkins Lawn. Naples Beach Hotel, 851 Gulf Shore Blvd N, Naples. 6:30-9:30p. 261-2222.

21 Sunday

•Ariel Blue’s The Power of the Voice: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

•Fort Myers Derby Girls vs Tampa Bay Bruise Cruise: Women’s roller derby. Bamboozles Skating & Event Center, 2095 Andrea Ln, Ft Myers. Happy hour 5p –game 6p. 482-7789.

•Stephen Ditchfield’s An American Songbook: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140

Friday

•Disgruntled Clown: Comedy. Laugh-In Comedy Cafe, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7:30 & 9:30p. 4795233.

•Laurie & Friends’ Songs in the Key of Pink: : Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

•Music Walk: Live music & dancing at several cafes, clubs &galleries. Downtown Ft Myers’ historic River District. 6-10p. Free. 855-732-3836.

•Random Acts: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

20 Saturday

•Artists@Work: Yoga with Yoga Bird . Interactive

W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

22 Monday

•Films for Film Lovers: ‘A Room with a View’. Center for the Arts Bonita Springs, 10150Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. 7p. 4958989.

24 Wednesday

•Bobby James: Live music. Ft Myers Brewing Co, 12811 Commerce Lakes Dr, # 27, Ft Myers. 6:30p. 3136576.

25 Thursday

•Chris Gorges & Tiffany Barbee: Comedy. Laugh-In Comedy Cafe, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7:30 & 9:30p. 479-5233.

•Kathryn & Matthew’s Sweep You Off Your Feet: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

•SWFL Symphony Concert: Village Church, 15101 Shell Pt Blvd, Ft Myers. 7:30p. 418-1500.

26 Friday

•Charles Logan’s Born This Way: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

•Chris Gorges & Tiffany Barbee: Comedy. Laugh-In Comedy Cafe, 8595 College

Pkwy, Ft Myers. 7:30 & 9:30p. 479-5233.

•Jonathan Hall’s To Drag or Not to Drag?: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

•Pet Walk: Hendry St btwn Bay St & Edwards Dr, downtown Ft Myers. 6-8p. Free. 793-7529.

•SWFL Symphony Concert: Davis Art Center, 2301 1st St, Ft Myers. 8p. 418-1500.

27 Saturday

•Auditions: For ‘A Christmas Carol.’ Marco Players Theater, Marco Town Center Mall, 1089 N Collier Blvd, Marco Island. 642-7270.

•Auditions: For ‘The Cemetery Club.’ Marco Players Theater, Marco Town Center Mall, 1089 N Collier Blvd, Marco Island. 6427270.

•Chris Gorges & Tiffany Barbee: Comedy. Laugh-In Comedy Cafe, 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. 479-5233.

•Jonathan Hall’s To Drag or Not to Drag?: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

•Kathryn & Matthew’s Sweep You Off Your Feet: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

•Square One Improv: Live comedy. Marco Players Theater, Marco Town Center Mall, 1089 N. Collier Blvd, Marco Island. 8p. 404-5198.

•Well Worn Shows, Scott Timson & Tony McEnry: Concert. Americana Community Music Association Listening Room, All Faiths Unitarian Congregation, 2756 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. 7p. Donations. 6914069.

28 Sunday

•Ariel Blue’s The Power of the Voice: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

•Stephen Ditchfield’s An American Songbook: Cabaret Festival. Venice Theatre, 140 W Tampa Ave, Venice. 8p. 941-488-1115.

30 Tuesday

•Auditions: For Youth Theater’s ‘The Secret Garden’. Center for the Arts Bonita Springs, 10150Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. 5-7p. Free. 495-8989.

31 Wednesday

•Auditions: For Youth Theater’s ‘The Secret Garden’.

Center for the Arts Bonita Springs, 10150Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. 5-7p. Free. 495-8989.

ongoing theater

•Alice in Wonderland: Jul 24-26. The Naples Players KidzAct. Sugden Theater, 701 5th Ave S, Naples. 2637990.

•An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf: Thru Jul 2. Laboratory Theater of Florida,1634Woodford Ave, Ft Myers. 218-0481.

•Catch Me If You Can: Jul 131. The Naples Players. Blackburn Hall, Sugden Theater, 701 5th Ave S, Naples. 263-7990.

•Crazy Trains: Fri & SatJul 1-Sep 24.Murder Mystery Dinner Train,2805 Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers. 275-8487.

•Deadly Doubles: Sun, Wed & Thuthru Aug 14.Murder Mystery Dinner Train,2805 Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers. 275-8487.

•Disney’s 101 Dalmatians: Jul 1. Broadway Palm Children’s Theatre, 1380 Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers. 278-4422.

•Last of the Red Hot Lovers: Thru Jul 30. Off Broadway Palm Theatre, 1380 Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers. 2784422.

•Martin & Lewis – a Tribute: July 22-24. Cultural Park Theater 528 Cultural Park Blvd, Cape Coral. 7725862.

•Mary Poppins: thru Aug 12. Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, 1380Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers. 278-4422.

•Menopause the Musical: thru Jul 2. Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, 1380Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers. 2784422.

•Peter Pan: Jul 21-Aug 7, 2017 Venice Theatre, 140 W. Tampa Ave, Venice. 941488-1115.

•Right Bed, Wrong Husband: Jun 15-Jul 29. Off Broadway Palm Theatre, 1380 Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers. 278-4422.

•Sammy, Liza & Frank – the Ultimate Tribute: Aug 5-7. Cultural Park Theater 528 Cultural Park Blvd, Cape Coral. 772-5862.

•Sirens: Jul 15-Aug 13. Laboratory Theater of Florida, 1634Woodford Ave, Ft Myers. 218-0481.

•Summer Cabaret Festival: Jul 7-Aug 28, 2017. Venice Theatre, 140 W. Tampa Ave, Venice. 941488-1115.

•Summer Circus Spectacular!: thru Jul 30. The Ringling’s Historic Asolo Theater, 5401 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota. 941-3607399.

•The Book of Liz: Aug 12-27. Theatre Conspiracy. Foulds Theatre, Alliance for the Arts, 10091 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. 936-3239.

•The Wizard of Oz: Jul 7Aug 13. Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, 1380Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers. 2784422.

•Things Being What They Are: Jul 22-Aug 7. The Studio Players, Joan Jenks Auditorium, Golden Gate Community Center, 5701 Golden Gate Pkwy, Naples. 389-9192.

THEATERS

•BIG ARTS Herb Strauss Theater: 2200 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel. 395-0900.

•Broadway Palm Children’s Theatre: Thru Jul 1: Disney’s 101 Dalmatians.1380 Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers. 278-4422.

•Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre: Thru Jul 2: Menopause the Musical;Jul 7-Aug 13: The Wizard of Oz. 1380 Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers.278-4422.

•FGCU TheatreLab: FGCU Arts Complex, 10501 FGCU Blvd S, Ft Myers. 5907268.

•Florida Repertory Theatre: 2267 1st St, Ft Myers. 3324488.

•Laboratory Theater of Florida: Thru Jul 2: An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf; Jul 15-Aug 13: Sirens. 1634Woodford Ave, Ft Myers. 218-0481.

•Off Broadway Palm Theatre: Thru Jul 30: Last of the Red Hot Lovers. 1380 Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers. 278-4422.

•Theatre Conspiracy: Aug 12-27: The Book of Liz. Foulds Theatre, Alliance for the Arts, 10091 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. 936-3239.

•TheatreZone: G & L Theatre, Community School of Naples, 13275 Livingston Rd, Naples. 888-966-3352.

•Venice Theatre: Jul 7-Aug 28: Cabaret Festival. 140 W. Tampa Ave, Venice. 941488-1115.

exhibitions

•Aldo Castillo Gallery: Miromar Design Center, 10800 Corkscrew Rd, Estero. MonFri 9:30a-5:30p & Sat 10a5p. Free. 312-375-8887.

•Alliance for the Arts: 10091 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. Jul 8-30: Art in Flight - A 10 Year Anniversary, Mem-

Carmen Ciricillo is appearing at the Laugh In Comedy Cafe in Fort Myers, August 11-13. Call 479-5233 for information.

ber Gallery: Alliance Youth Programs. Aug 5-Sep 3: Habitats - Members Exhibit. Mon-Fri 9a-5p & Sat 9a-1p. Free. 939-2787.

•Arsenault Studio & Banyan Arts Gallery: 1199 3rd St, Naples. Mon-Wed 10a-5p, Thu-Sat 10a-7p, Sun 1-5p. Free. 263-1214.

•Art Bar: 1416 Dean St, Ft Myers. Free. 292-8072.

•Art Council of Southwest Florida Co-Op Gallery: Coconut Point Mall, 8074 Mediterranean Dr, Estero. Oct-Apr Tue-Thu & Sat 10a6p, Fri 11a-7p, Sun 12-5p, May-Sep Thu & Sat 10a-6p, Fri 11a-7p, Sun 12-5p. Free. 267-3049.

•Art League of Fort Myers: 1451 Monroe St, Ft Myers. Jul 1-28: Suntans & Sandals; Aug 5-25: Summer Sizzle. Free open painting Wed 9:30-12p. Tue-Sat 11a3p & 6-9p 1st Fri of month. Free. 275-3970.

•Arts For ACT Gallery: 2265 First St, Ft Myers. Jul: Themed Exhibit open to all artists...theme TBA; Aug: IsabelSquires. Mon-Sat 11a-4:30p, 1st & 3rd Fri 11a10p. Call for Sat hrs. Free.

337-5050.

•Arts of the Inland Galleries: Members exhibits. Keiser U, 9100 Forum Corporate Pkwy, Ft Myers, 2771336. Mon-Thu 8a-8p, Fri 8a-5p, Sat 9a-1p. Barron Park House Gallery, 471 N Lee St, LaBelle, 843-2929. Thu-Sun 12-5p. Lehigh Medical Center Gallery, 1500 Lee Blvd, Lehigh Acres, Mon-Fri 7a-5p. Free. 339-7265. 277-1336.

•Baker Museum: ArtisNaples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples. Thru Jul 31: New Acquisitions – from collection of Paul & Charlotte Corddry; thru Jul 31: Harry Zitter – Photographer Sans Frontieres; thru Jul 31: Student exhibition.

Ongoing: Dawn’s Forest –sculptures of Louise Nevelson; Student Exhibition.

Tue-Sat 10a-4p & Sun 124p. 597-1900.

•Barron Park House Gallery: 471 Lee St, LaBelle. ThuSun 12-5p. Free. 843-2929.

•Bert’s Pine Bay Gallery: 4332 Pine Island Rd, Matlacha. Sun & Mon 10a-5p, Tue-Sat 10a-7p. Free. 2831335.

•Beth Sistrunk Fine Art: 5760 Shirley St, # 15, Naples. Tue & Thu 1-4p. Free. 293-4904.

•BIG ARTS Center: 900 Dunlop Rd, Sanibel. Closed. Free. 395-0900.

•Bob Rauschenberg Gallery: Florida SouthWestern State College, 8099 College Pkwy SW, Ft Myers. Thru Aug 13: Glenn Branca & Philip Corner re: Sound.

Mon-Fri 10a-4p & Sat 11a3p. Free. 489-9313.

•Cape Coral Art League: 516 Cultural Park Blvd, Cape Coral. Mon-Thu 11a-4p SepMay. Free. 772-5657.

•Cape Coral Arts Studio: 4533 Coronado Pkwy in Rubicond Park, Cape Coral. Mon-Fri 9a-4:30p. Free. 574-0802.

•Cape Coral Library: 921 39th Terrace & SW 9th Ct, Cape Coral. 9a-5p. Free. 533-4500.

•Captiva Community Center: 11550 Chapin Ln, Captiva. Tue & Th 10a-1p. Free. 8519040.

•Centers for the Arts of Bonita Springs: 26100 Old 41 Rd, Bonita Springs. Jul 1-28: Town & Country; Aug

5-25: Human Nature. MonFri 10a-4p & Sat 1-5p. Free. 495-8989.

•Clark Art Studio: Mercato, 9155 Strada Place, #5155, Naples. Mon-Sat 11a-9p & Sun 1-9p. Free. 616-2601533.

•Clyde Butcher’s Venice Gallery & Studio: 237 Warfield Ave, Venice. TueFri 10a-4:30p. Free. 4860811.

•Clyde Butcher’s Big Cypress Gallery: 52388 Tamiami Tr MM 54.5, Ochopee. Daily 10a-5p. Free. 695-2428.

•Collier County Museum: 3301 Tamiami Tr E, Naples. Thru Sep 21: Just Above the Water – Florida Folk Art. Educational programs, Wed, 2pm. Mon-Sat 9a-4p. Free. 252-8476.

•DAAS Co-op Art Gallery: 1400 Colonial Blvd, # 84, Ft Myers. Tue-Sat 10a-6p. Free. 980-1394.

•Deborah Martin Art Studio: 5760 Shirley St, #14, Naples. Free. 518-791-0251.

•East West Fine Art: Bigham Galleria, 2425 Tamiami Tr N, #102, Naples. Jul 13-Aug

4: Warm Vodka & Cold Feet. Mon-Fri 11a-4p & Sat 11a2p.Free. 821-9459.

•East West Fine Art: Mercato, 9115 Strada Pl, #5130, Naples. Jul 8-29: Out in the Countryside, Aug 6-20:

•Guess-Fisher Gallery: 1187

8th St S, Naples. Mon-Thu 12-5p, Fr & Sat 12-9p, Sun 1-5p. Free. 263-3417.

•Harbour View Gallery: 5789 Cape Harbour Dr, #104, Cape Coral. Jul: Mar-

ilyn Frank, Amparo Monserrath; Aug: Justin Makley, Sandy O’Grady. Daily 11a-8p, closed Mon Jun-Sep. Free. 540-5789.

•Harmon-Meek Gallery: 599 9th St N, #309, Naples. Closed. Free. 261-2637.

•Harmon-Meek Modern: 382 12th Ave S, Naples. Closed. Free. 261-2637.

•Hirdie-Girdie Art Gallery: 2490 Library Way, Sanibel. Closed. Free. 395-0027.

•Howl Gallery/Tattoo: 4160 Cleveland Ave, Ft. Myers. Mon-Thu 11a-8p, Fri & Sat 12-10p,1st Sat of month 711p. Free. 332-0161.

•HW Gallery: 1305 Third St S, Naples. Daily 10a-5p. Free. 263-6640.

• I m m o k a l e e P i o n e e r Museum: 1215 Roberts Ave, Immokalee. Mon-Fri 9a-4p. Free. 658-2466.

Between Dreams & Reality – Merab Gagiladze. MonSat 10a-9p & Sun 12-6p. Free. 220-7503.

•Emily James Gallery: 720 5th Ave Sm # 111, Naples. Tue-Sat 12-8p & Sun 12-5p. Free.777-3283

•Englewood Art Center: Ringling College of Art & Design, 350 S. McCall Rd, Englewood.Closed. Free. 941-474-5548.

•Florida Gulf Coast University Art Galleries: 10501 FGCU Blvd S., Ft Myers. Main Gallery —Aug 17-Sep 22: Highlights from the Permanent Collection. ArtLab — closed. Main Gallery in Arts Complex, ArtLab in Library. Mon-Fri, 10a-4p & Thu 10a-7p. Free. 5907199.

•Fort Myers Beach Art Association: 3030 Shell Mound, Ft Myers Beach. Thru Oct 12: Summer Show. Oct-Apr Mon-Sat 10a-3p & Sun 12-3p; May-Sep Wed & Thu 9a-12p. Free. 4633909.

•Gallerie du Soleil: 393 Broad Ave S, Naples. MonSat, 10a-6p & Sun 12-5p. Free. 417-3450.

•Gardner Colby Gallery: 386 & 365 Broad Ave S, Naples. Mon-Sat 10a-5p. Free. 4037787.

•Grand Illusion Gallery: 2443 First St, Ft Myers.

Tue-Sat 10a-6p & Sat 11a2p, 1st & 3rd Fri 6-10p, 1st Fri of month 10a-10p. Free.461-7245.

•Guardians of The Everglades: 1719 Trade Center Way, # 3, Naples. Wed 2-7 & by appt. 405-2010.

359 Broad Ave S, Naples. Mon-Sat 10-5p. Free. 2623484.

•Museum of the Everglades: 105 W Bwy,Everglades City. Thru Aug 31: Everglades City School Art Exhibit. Tue-Fri 9a-5p & Sat 9a-4p. Free. 695-0008.

•Museum of the Islands: 5728 Sesame, Pine Island Center. Tue, Thu, Sat 11a3p. 283-1525.

•Naples Art Association at The von Liebig Art Center: 585 Park St, Naples. Thru Aug 5: Pictures in Process; thru Aug 5: Camera USA; Aug 22-Oct 14: Your Choice. Mon-Fri 10a-4p. Free. 2626517.

•Naples Botanical Garden: 4820 Bayshore Dr, Naples. Daily 9a-5p, Tue 8a-5p.643-7275.

•Naples Depot Museum: 1051 Fifth Ave S, Naples. Thru Sep 30: Rest in Peace

–Cemeteries of Collier County Mon-Sat 9a-4p. Free. 262-6525.

•Island Conclave: 5101 Pine Island Rd, Bokeelia. TueSat 11a-5p. Free. 2828488.

•Island Visions: 4643 Pine Island Rd, Matlacha. Daily 10a-5p. Free. 282-0452.

•Jo-Ann Sanborn Sunshine Studios of Marco Island: The Esplanade, 760 N Collier Blvd, #102, Marco Island. Wed-Fri 10am-5pm & & Sat 10a-2p. Free. 4049179

•John Ebling Veteran Art Gallery: American Legion Post #38, 1837 Jackson St, Ft Myers. Free. 332-1853.

•Kathleen Bradford Studio/Gallery: 4259 Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. Oct-MayTue-Sat 11a-5p, Jun-Sep by appt. Free. 7766844.

•Keiser University Gallery: 9100 Forum Corporate Pkwy, Ft Myers. Mon-Thu 8a-8p, Fri 8a-5p, Sat 9a-1p. Free. 277-1336.

•Lehigh Medical Center Gallery: 1500 Lee Blvd, Lehigh Acres. Mon-Fri 7a5p. Free. 339-7265.

•Lovegrove Gallery & Garden: 4637 Pine Island Rd NW, Matlacha.Mon & ThuSat 11-5p, Sun 12-4p.Free. 283-6453.

•Marco Island Center for the Arts: 1010 Winterberry Dr, Marco Island. Tue-Sat 9a4p. Free. 394-4221.

•Marco Island Historical Museum: 180 S Heathwood Dr, Marco Island. Thru Jul 26: Wild & Remote – Photographing South Florida by Canoe; Aug 2-Oct 29: Here & There. Tue-Sat 9a-4p. Free. 642-1440.

•Marianne Friedland Gallery:

•Nora Butler Designs: Crayton Cove, 800 12th Ave. S, Naples. Tue-Sat 11a-6p. Free. 403-8287.

•North Collier Regional Park Exhibit Hall: 15000 Livingston Rd, Naples. MonSat, 9a-5:30p. Free. 252-4060.

•Ollie Gentry Mack Photography: 2180 W 1st St, #210, Ft. Myers. Tue-Thu 11a-6p & Fri 11a-10p. Free. 3321295.

•Phil Fisher Gallery: 810 12th Ave S, Naples. MonThu 11a-5p, Fri & Sat 11a9p. Free. 403-8393.

•Rene Miville Gallery: Franklin Shops, 2200 1st St, 2nd fl, Ft Myers. Jul & Aug: Simone Eisenbeiss. Mon-Sat 10a-8p & Sun 127p. Free. 333-3130.

•Richard H Rush Library: Special Collections Gallery, FSW State College, 8099 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. Ongoing: High Renaissance to Impressionism, The Sanders Porcelain Exhibit. Mon-Fri 10a-2p. Free. 4899220.

•Rick Moore Fine Art Gallery: The Village on Venetian Bay, 4230 Gulf Shore Blvd N, Naples. Free. 434-6464.

•Ringling College of Art +

Design Galleries: Ringling College of Art + Design, 2700 N. Tamiami Tr, Sarasota. Selby Gallery — thru Aug 5: Defining Abstraction. Basch Gallery — thru Sep 7: All Ringling TV Network. Thompson Gallery — thru Oct 21: Pedro Perez. Sep-Apr Mon-Sat 10a-4p; May-Aug Mon-Fri 10a-4p. Free. 941-359-7563.

•Ringling Museum of Art: 5401 Bay Shore Rd, Sara-

Broadway Palm’s Off Broadway Dinner Theater in Fort Myers presents ‘Last of the Red Hot Lovers’ thru July 30. For information, call 278-4422.

what Goes on

sota. 5401 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota. Thru Sep 11: Phantom Bodies -The Human Aura in Art. thru Sep 25: Naked Before the Lens. Ongoing: New Acquisitions, 20th Century Abstract Art, Asian & Cypriot Art. Circus Museum — thru Oct 3: Circus Celebrities – Portraiture in the American Circus Poster. Gardens of Ringling Guided Tour: Thu 10:30a. Daily 10a-5p, Thu 10a-8p. 941-359-5700.

•Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center: 300 Tower Rd, Naples. Thru Sep 7: The Fabric exhibit. Free. Mon-Sat 9a-4p. 530-5940.

•Rosen Gallery & Studios: North Line Plaza, 2172 J & C Blvd, N Naples. Mon-Sat, 12-6p. Free. 821-1061.

•Sanibel Captiva Art League: Member shows at Sanibel Library, 770 Dunlop Rd, Sanibel. Free. 472-2483.

•Sea Grape Gallery: 113 W Marion Ave, Punta Gorda. Closed. Free. 941-5751718.

•Shangri-La Springs: 27750 Old US 41, Bonita Springs. Jul 13-Aug 7: Sky; Aug 10Sep 5: Pulse. Mon-Fri 10a3p. Free. 949-0749.

•Sheldon Fine Art: 460 Fifth Ave S, Naples. 10a-10p. Free. 649-6255.

•Sidney & Berne Davis Arts Center: 2301 First St, Ft Myers. Jul 1-26: Mila Bridger – #Unexpected. Mon-Fri 10a-5p & 6-9p & 1st Fri of month. Free. 3371933.

•Space 39 Art Bar & Lounge: 39 Patio de Leon, Ft Myers. Tue-Sat 5:30close. Free. 204-9949.

•Sweet Art Gallery: 2054 Trade Center Way, Naples. Mon-Fri 11a-4p & Sat by appt. Free. 597-2110.

•SWFL Community Foundation: 8771 CollegePkwy, bldg 2, # 201, Ft Myers. Thru Aug: Faces of Philanthropy. Mon-Fri 8a-5p. Free. 274-5900.

•SWFL Fine Craft Guild: 574-0802.

•SWFL Museum of History: 2031 Jackson St, FtMyers. Tue-Sat 10a-5p. 321-7430.

•The Artist’s Gallery: 6240 Shirley St, #104, Naples. Mon-Fri 10a-4p & Sat by appt. Free. 596-5099.

•The Lady from Haiti: 110 10th St N, Naples. Tue-Sat 3-8p. Free. 649-8607.

•The Studio: 1529 Lee St, Ft Myers. Free.472-4557.

•Tower Gallery: 751 Tarpon Bay Rd, Sanibel. Daily 10a9p. Free. 340-6467.

•Trudy Labell Fine Art: Bingham Galleria,2425 Tamiami Trail N, #102, Naples. Mon-Fri 11a-4p & Sat 11a-2p. Free. 434-7778.

•Two Newts Gallery: 2502 2nd St, #104, Ft Myers. Tue-Fri 10a-6p, Sat 10a-4p, Sun 12-4p. Free. 332-2300.

•Union Artists Studios: Alliance of the Arts, 10051 McGregor Blvd, #202, Edwards Bldg, Ft Myers. Free. 826-3861.

•Unit A: 1922 Evans Ave, Ft Myers. Art by Marcus Jansen. By appt. Free. 2401053.

•Vallez Studio: Crayton Cove, 784 12th Ave S, Naples. Free. 262-0381.

•Veron Ennis Modern Art: 10051 McGregor Blvd, # 201, Ft Myers. Sat 9a-1p & by appt. Free.849-7772.

•Visual Arts Center: 210 Maud St, Punta Gorda. First Federal Gallery — thru Aug 19: America the Beautiful. Goff Gallery —thru Aug 18: Starving Artists Sale. MonFri, 9a-4p & Sat 10a-2p. Free. 951-639-8810.

•Watson MacRae Gallery: 2340 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel. Thru Jul 31: Summer Salon ‘16.Mon-Sat 10:30a5p. Free. 472-3386.

attractions

•Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum: Seminole Tribe of Florida Museum. Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation, 30290 Josie Billie Hwy, Clewiston. Daily 9a5p. 877-902-1113.

•Babcock Wilderness Adventures: 8000 State Rd 31,Punta Gorda. TueSat. Reserve for tours. 800500-5583.

•Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum: 3075 SanibelCaptiva Rd, Sanibel. Raymond Burr Memorial Exhibit,Deep-Sea Mollusks, Henry DomkeNature Photographer. World Record-Sized Shells. Open Daily 10a-5p. 395h2233.

•Baker Museum: ArtisNaples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd, Naples. Thru Jul 31: New Acquisitions – from collection of Paul & Charlotte Corddry; thru Jul 31: Harry Zitter – Photographer Sans Frontieres; thru Jul 31: Student exhibition.

Ongoing: Dawn’s Forest –sculptures of Louise Nevelson; Student Exhibition. Tue-Sat 10a-4p & Sun 124p. 597-1900.

•Burroughs Home & Gardens: 2505 First St, Ft Myers. Living history tours daily 11a & 1p, 5-9p. 3370706.

•Butterfly Estates: 1815 Fowler St, Ft Myers. Sun & Tue-Th 10a-5p, Sat 10a-7p. 690-2359.

•Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium: 3450 Ortiz

Ave, Ft Myers. Museum, butterfly aviary, trails, live reptile shows daily. Planetarium shows Wed-Sat. Solar Observing thru Telescope Fri 11a. 10a-5p & Sun, 11a-5p. 275-3435.

•Cape Coral Historical Museum: 544 Cultural Park Blvd, Cape Coral. Wed, Thu & Sun 1-4p. 772-7037.

•Children’s Museum of Naples: North Collier Park, 15080 Livingston Rd, Naples. Special hours for children on autistic spectrum: Breaking the Barriers, 2nd Sat of month 8-9a & Sensory Night, 4th Tue of month 5-8p. Register. 5140084.

•Collier County Museum: 3301 Tamiami Tr E, Naples. Thru Sep 21: Just Above the Water – Florida Folk Art. Educational programs, Wed, 2pm. Mon-Sat 9a-4p. Free. 774-8476.

•Conservancy of SWFL: 1495 Smith Preserve Way off Goodlette Frank Rd. Mon-Sat 9:30a-4:30p. Free. 430-2466.

•Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary: 375 Sanctuary Rd W, Naples. Blair Audubon Center, Boardwalk Exploration & Exhibits. Daily 7a-5:30p. Free. 348-9151.

•CREW: Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed. 23998 Corkscrew Rd, Estero. Guided walks: 1st & 3rd Tue & 2nd Sat, NovApr, Marsh Hiking Trails, 4600 Corkscrew Rd, Immokalee. Trails open sunrise-sunset. Free. 6572253.

•CROW: Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife. 3883 Sanibel-Captiva Rd, Sanibel. Healing Winds Visitor Education Center. Wonders of Wildlife: Nature presentations Mon-Fri 11a. Tue-Sun 10a-4p. Free. 472-3644.

• ’Ding’ Darling National

Wildlife Refuge: 1 Wildlife Dr, Sanibel. Sat-Thu 7a-7p. Education Center: May-Dec 9a-4p, Jan-Apr 9a-5p. Wildlife Dr closed Sat.4721100.

•Edison & Ford Winter Estates: 2350 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. Jul 8-22 & Aug 5-Sep 2: Special phonograph demos. Ongoing: Edison & Rubber – A Scientific Quest, Edison & Ford in Florida. Daily 9a5:30p. 334-7419.

•Everglades Wonder Gardens: 27180 Old 41 Rd, BonitaSprings.Botanical gardens, animals, art gallery. Daily 9a-4p. 9922591.

•Holocaust Museum & Education Center of SWFL: Sandalwood Square, 4760 Tamiami Tr N, #107, Naples. Tue-Sat 12:30-5p Jan-Apr, Tue-Sun 1-4p May-Dec. Guided Tours: 1:30p. Free. 263-9200.

•Imaginarium Science Center: 2000 Cranford St, Ft Myers. Mon-Sat 10a-5p & Sun 12-5p. 321-7420.

•Immokalee Pioneer Museum at Roberts Ranch: 1215 Roberts Ave, Immokalee. Mon-Fri 9a-4p. Free. 6582466.

•Marco Island Historical Museum: 180 S Heathwood Dr, Marco Island. Thru Jul 26: Wild & Remote – Photographing South Florida by Canoe; Aug 2-Oct 29: Here & There. Tue-Sat 9a-4p. Free. 642-1440.

•Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium: 1600 Ken Thompson Pkwy, Sarasota. Eco-boat tours daily. Immersion Cinema. Daily, 10a-5p. 941-388-4441.

•Mound House: 451 Connecticut St, Ft Myers Beach. Free guided beach walks Tue 9a at Newton Park, 4650 Estero Blvd, Ft Myers Beach. Guided kayak eco-

Fifth Ave S, Naples. Thru Sep 30: Rest in Peace –Cemeteries of Collier County Mon-Sat 9a-4p. Free. 262-6525.

•Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens: 1590 GoodletteFrank Rd, Naples. Daily 9a5p. 262-5409.

•Palm Cottage Museum & Norris Gardens: Naples Historical Society, 137 12th Ave. S, Naples. Exhibit: History in Flight. Walking tours of Naples historic district: Wed 10a; Guided garden tours: 1st & 3rd Thu of month 10a. Tours: Tue-Sat 1-4p. Free. 261-8164.

tours Wed & Sat 9:30a. Demos & lectures. Free. 765-0865.

•Museum of Medical History: Edison State College, 1099 College Pkwy, bldg AA room 178, Ft Myers. Mon-Fri 10a-2p. Free. 4899208.

•Museum of the Everglades: 105 W Bwy,Everglades City. Thru Aug 31: Everglades City School Art Exhibit. Tue-Fri 9a-5p & Sat 9a-4p. Free. 695-0008.

•Museum of the Islands: 5728 Sesame, Pine Island Center. Free. 283-1525.

•Naples Botanical Garden: 4820 Bayshore Dr, Naples.Dogs in the Garden walks Sun 9-11:30a, Tu 811a, Thu 3-5p. Daily 9a-5p & Tue8a-5p Oct-Jun; daily 8a-3p Jul-Sep. 643-7275.

•Naples Depot Museum: 1051

•Ringling Museum of Art: 5401 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota. 5401 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota. Thru Sep 11: Phantom Bodies -The Human Aura in Art. thru Sep 25: Naked Before the Lens. Ongoing: New Acquisitions, 20th Century Abstract Art, Asian & Cypriot Art. Circus Museum — thru Oct 3: Circus Celebrities – Portraiture in the American Circus Poster. Gardens of Ringling Guided Tour: Thu 10:30a. Daily 10a-5p, Thu 10a-8p. 941-359-5700.

•Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center: 300 Tower Rd, Naples. Thru Sep 7: The Fabric exhibit. Daily programs: 11a & 2p. Guided boat & kayak tours Nov 4Apr 30 Tue & Th. Mon-Sat 9a-4p. 530-5940.

•Sanibel Historical Museum & Village: 950 Dunlop Rd, Sanibel. Wed-Sat, 10a-4p. 472-4648.

•Seminole Casino Resort: 506 S 1st St, Immokalee. Jul 18: Corvette Car Show. 800-218-0007.

Mark Chestnutt is performing at The Ranch Concert Hall & Saloon in Fort Myers on July 16. For information, call 985-9839.

The Betty Fox Band is performing a free concert on August 20 on The Naples Beach Hotel’s Watkin’s Lawn overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. Call 261-2222 for information.

Wine& Dine SWFLDININGGUIDE

BERT'S BAR & SEAFOOD GRILL : 4271 Pine Island Rd, Matlacha. 282-3232. Million dollar view and quality food at reasonable prices. Featuring grouper, gulfshrimpandcertifiedangus burgers. Live Entertainment (check schedule on our website). 'All-U-Can-Eat' Fish Fry Wed & Fri 4-9pm. View our webcam on our website and see the beautiful view! Open seven days a week from 11am. www.bertsbar.com

BOOTLEGGERS WATERFRONT

BARBEQUE : 2200 Main St, Ft Myers Beach. 463-3043. One of Florida’s best barbeque is located in Fort Myers Beach! Featuring Southern Pride smoked favorites such as chicken, ribs, pork, brisket, and all your home cooked favorites for lunch and dinner. Local craft beers and whiskey flights served in a bootlegging atmosphere complete with bourbon and moonshine. Go for the sunset and stay for the moonshine! Open May-Oct WedFri 3-9pm, Sat 11am-10pm, Sun 10am9pm. www.bootleggersbarbeque.com

BROADWAY PALM DINNER THEATRE

: 1380 Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers. 2784422. Southwest Florida’s premier dinner theatre. The theatre’s season features the best of Broadway for all ages, combining your favorite shows of the past along with the most recent musical hit sensations. Features a delicious buffet, nationally selected performers, dazzling sets and costumes and a live orchestra. Performances Tue-Sun evenings with selected matinees. www.broadwaypalm.com

•Shell Factory & Nature Park: 2787 N Tamiami Trail, N Ft Myers. Shell exhibits, Animal exhibits, petting farm, Christmas House, Natural History Exhibit, Money Museum, water games, video arcade, miniature golf, playgrounds, Soaring Eagle Zip Line. Daily 10a-5p. 9952141.

•SWFL Historical Society: 10091 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. Wed 9a-12p & 4-7p, Sat 9a-12p. Free. 9394044.

•SWFL Military Museum & Library: 4820 Leonard St, Ft Myers. Nov 7-21: Art by Veterans. Mon-Sat 9a-5p. Free. 541-8704.

•SWFL Museum of History: 2031 Jackson St, FtMyers. Historical walking Tours Wed & Sat 10:30a thru Apr 30. Tue-Sat 10a-5p. 3217430.

•Williams Academy Black H i s t o r y M u s e u m : Clemente Park, 1936 Henderson Ave, Ft Myers. Mon-Fri 9a-5p & Sat 124p. Free. 332-8778.

FOGGCAFE : Naples Botanical Garden, 4820 Bayshore Dr, Naples. 643-7275. Fogg Café is about unique and creative food using local, sustainable and seasonal products including items from the Botanical Garden itself. Menus are changed seasonally, focusing on high quality. In addition to incorporating an exciting garden-to-table inspired menu, Fogg Café offers some of the most beautiful dining views in the area. Open daily 9am5pm. www.naplesgarden.org

LAUGH IN COMEDYCAFE : 8595 College Pkwy, #270, Ft Myers. 4795233. Come to laugh, eat & drink. Along with having hilarious national touring comics every weekend, they have a full kitchen serving delicious fresh meals. Home of The Big Bopper Burger. Pasta fans have a choice of Chicken Parmesan or Pasta Milano with tender chicken & fresh mixed vegetables. New look! All shows are smoke free! Five weekly shows Thu-Sat at 7:30 & 9:30. Plus special events. www.laughincomedycafe.com

PARROT KEY CARIBBEAN GRILL : 2500 Main St, Ft Myers Beach. 4633257. Voted Best Waterfront Dining since 2004. Colorful and tasty frozen drinks served alongside Caribbean inspired cuisine to please all palates including local seafood and land-based favorites. Arrive by land or sea for a taste of paradise in every bite! Open daily 11:30am9pm. www.myparrotkey.com

parks

•Bonita Beach Park: 27954 Hickory Blvd, Bonita Springs. 533-7444.

•Bowditch Point Regional Park: 50 Estero Blvd, Ft Myers Beach. 463-3764.

•Bunche Beach: 18201 John Morris Rd, Ft Myers. 7076794.

•Caloosahatchee Regional Park: 18500 North River Rd, Alva. 693-2690.

•Collier-Seminole State Park: US 41 (Tamiami Trail), S Naples. Guided walks: Sat 10a. Hiking trail, self-guided boardwalk nature trail, exhibits, camping, fishing, boating canoeing. 394-3397.

•Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park: 11135 Gulfshore Dr, Naples. Beach, fishing, picnic areas. 597-6196.

•Estero Park: 9200 Corkscrew Palms Blvd, Estero. 248-1609.

•Everglades National Park: Gulf Coast Visitor Center,815 Oyster Bar Ln, Everglades City. 9a-4:30p. 695-3311.

N Tamiami Tr, N Ft Myers. 652-4512.

•Rutenberg Park Eco-Living Center: 533-7515.

•Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve: 7791 Penzance Blvd, Ft Myers. Free. 5337550.

•Veterans Park: 55 Homestead Rd, Lehigh Acres. 369-1521.

•Wa-Ke-Hatchee Park: 16730 Bass Rd, Ft Myers. Flow Yoga & Mat Pilates: Mon-Thu 9a; Yoga & Meditation: Tue 4:30p; Tai chi: Wed 1p; Laughter Yoga: Wed 6:30p. Classes free. 432-2154.

livemusic &comedy

•Americana Community Music Association Listening Room: All Faiths Unitarian Congregation, 2756 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. 7p. Donations. 691-4069.

•Art Bar: 1416 Dean St, Ft Myers. 292-8072.

•Bert’s Bar & Grill: 4271 Pine Island Rd, Matlacha. Live Tue-Sun. 282-3232.

•Big Game Waterfront Grill: 2200 Main St, Ft Myers Beach. Live music Sun-Fri 4-6p,Fri & Sat 7-10p. 4633043.

•Bootleggers Waterfront Barbeque: 2200 Main St, Ft Myers Beach. Live music Fri-Sun. 463-3043.

21-30: Jay Hewlett & Keith Bergman; Jul 28-30: Janet

‘Tennessee Tramp’ Williams & Catherine Maloney; Aug

4-6: Coleman Green & Chris

Buck; Aug 11-13: Carmen Ciricillo & Brian Corrion; Aug 18-20: Disgruntled Clown; Aug 25-27: Chris Gorges & Tiffany Barbee. 23479-5233.

•Matanzas on the Bay: 414 Crescent St, Ft Myers Beach. Live music nitely 69p. 463-3838.

•Momentum Brewhouse: 9786 Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. Live music Fri & Sat 6-9p. 949-9945.

•Off the Hook Comedy Club: Row Seafood, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, #1100, Naples. Comics Fri-Sun. 389-6901.

•Old Naples Comedy Club: 1100 6th Ave S, Naples. Comics Thu-Sun. 4552844.

•Paradise Tiki Hut: 1502 Miramar St, Cape Coral. Live music nightly. 5421988.

•Parrot Key Caribbean Grill: 2500 Main St, Ft Myers Beach. 463-3257.

•Point Ybel Brewing Company: 16120 San Carlos Blvd, Ft Myers. Tue: Open mic 7:30-10:30p; Thu: Jazz & bluegrass jam 7:3010:30p; Fri: Live music 7:30-10:30p; Sun: Reggae 6-9p. 603-6535.

•The Ranch Concert Hall & S a l o o n : 2158 Colonial Blvd, Ft Myers. 9859839.

•The Studio: 1529 Lee St, Ft Myers. Live music. 472-4557.

•The Veranda: 2122 Second St, Ft Myers. Piano Bar

Tue-Sat 6:30-9:. 3322065.

•World of Beer: Bell Tower Shops, 13499 S Cleveland Ave, Ft Myers. Live music Thu-Sat. 437-2411.

•Yabo: 16230 Summerlin Rd, Ft Myers. Live music. 225-9226.

farmers markets

THURSDAY

•River District Farmers Market: Centennial Park, 2000 W 1st St, Ft Myers. 7a-1p. 321-7100.

FRIDAY

•Bayfront Farmers Market: 465 Bayfront Pl, Naples. 4-8p. 293-9703.

•Friendly Farmers Market: Golden Gate Community Center, 4701 Golden Gate Pkwy, Naples. 3-7p. 786942-8300.

•Government Complex Farmers Market: 3335 US

41 E, Naples. 11a-2p.

•Hickeys Creek Mitigation Park: 17980 Palm Beach Blvd, Alva. 693-2690.

•Koreshan State Historic Site State Park: US Hwy 41 & Corkscrew Rd, Estero. 992-0311.

•Lakes Regional Park: 7330 Gladiolus Dr, Ft Myers. Guided walks: 1st Sat 8:30a, Garden tour: 2nd Sat. 5337575.

•Lovers Key State Park: South of Ft Myers Beach. 463-4588.

•Lynn Hall Park: 950 Estero Blvd, Ft Myers Beach. 2297356.

•Manatee Park: 10901 Palm Beach Blvd, Ft Myers. 8adusk. 690-5030.

•Matanzas Pass Preserve: 119 Bay Rd, Ft Myers Beach. 707-3015.

•Myakka River State Park: 13207 SR 72, Sarasota. Canoeing, camping, wildlife tours by air-boat & tram, scenic drive, guided walks. 361-6511.

•North Collier Regional Park: 15000 Livingston Rd, Naples. 252-4060.

•North Ft Myers Park: 2021

•Buckingham Blues Bar: 5641 Buckingham Rd., Ft Myers. Jul 1: Betty Fox Band; Jul 22: Rev. Billy Wirtz; Aug 5: JP Soars & The Red Hots. Sat: Tommy Lee Cook, T Bone Funk, Larry Bell & Friends 2-6p; Wed: Open Blues Jam 811p; Sun: Open Blues Jam 3-6p. 693-7111.

•Buddha Bar & Grill: 12701 McGregor Blvd, Ft Myers. Live music Wed-Sun. 4828565.

•City Tavern: 2206 Bay St, Ft Myers. Live music ThuSat. 226-1133.

•Cottage Bar: 1270 Estero Blvd, Ft Myers Beach. Live music nightly. 765-5440.

•Fort Myers Brewing Company: 12811 Commerce Lake Dr, #27, Ft Myers. Live music. 313-6576.

•Freds Food, Fun & Spirits!: 2700 Immokalee Rd., Naples. Live music WedSun. 431-7928.

•Hotel Indigo: 1520 Broadway, Ft Myers. Wed: Open Mic. 337-3446.

•Laugh-In Comedy Café: 8595 College Pkwy, Ft Myers. Comics Thu-Sat 7:30 & 9:30p. Jul 1 & 2: Myke Kerlihy & Kevin White; Jul 7-9: RC Smith & Steve Lazlow; Jul 14-16: Mo Alexander & Kyle Ruse; Jul

•Red Rock Saloon: 2278 First St, Ft Myers. Live music Tue, Fri, Sat. 6898667.

•Reserve Cigar & Wine Bar: 10950 S. Cleveland Ave, Ft Myers. Live music Fri & Sat. 210-0300.

•Rhythm House: 16440 S Tamiami Tr, Ft Myers. Live music Fri & Sat nites. 4668326.

•RJ’s Bar & Grill: 1475 N. Tamiami Tr, N.Ft Myers. Live music nightly. 9979600.

•Roadhouse Café: 15660 San Carlos Blvd, Ft Myers. Live music. 415-4375.

•Sneaky Pete’s: 3465 Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. Live music nightly. 4988887.

•Space 39 Art Bar & Lounge: 39 Patio de Leon, Ft Myers. Live music Wed-Sat 8:3011p. 204-9949.

•Teri-Tini’s: 7050 Crystal Dr, Ft Myers. Live music. 7:30-11pm. 277-5475.

•The Barrel Room: Twisted Vine, 2214 Bay St, Ft Myers. Live blues. 333-225.

•The Dek Bar: 4704 SE 15 Ave, Cape Coral. Live music nightly. 542-3745.

• T h e J o i n t a t C a p e H a rbour : 5785 Cape Harbour Dr, Cape Coral. Live music Tue, Fri, Sun. 5420123.

•Shoppes at Vanderbilt Farmers Market: Collection at Vanderbilt, 2355 Vanderbilt Beach Rd,Naples. 124p. 273-2350.

SATURDAY

•Alliance for the Arts’ GreenMarket: 10091 McGregor Blvd., Ft Myers. 9a-1p. 939-2787.

•Bonita Springs Farmers Market: The Promenade Shoppes, 26811 South Bay Dr,Bonita Springs. 7a-12p. 495-8464.

•Bonita Springs Lions Market: Naples Ft Myers Greyhound Track parking lot, 10601 SE Bonita Beach Rd, Bonita Springs. 7am12:30p. 992-4011.

•Friendly Farmers Market: Golden Gate Community Center, 4701 Golden Gate Pkwy, Naples. 9a-3p. 786-942-8300.

•Third Street Farmer’s Market: 1220 Third St S, Naples. 7:30-11:30a. 6496707

SUNDAY

• N o r t h N a p l e s G r e e n M a rk e t : Ole Towne Center, 8020 Grand Lely Dr, Na ples. 12-4p. 5949358.

•Pine Island Tropical Fruit Market: Stringfellow Rd & Ficus Tree Ln, Bokeelia. 10a-3p.

•Sanibel Island Farmers Market: Sanibel City Hall, 800 Dunlop Road, Sanibel. 8a-1p. 691-9249.