Next Wednesday’s Fashion Show benefitting BIG ARTS is coming together nicely. “So far we have art from famous Captiva artist Darryl Pottorf, vacation stays, fine art photography from Alan Maltz and jewelry for our live auction and we’re not done yet!” states Barbara Harrington.

Island businesses have rallied round with raffle items such as a mom’s morning at a local resort where the kids play in the organized program and mom & friends get to hang out at the pool, boat excursions, shelling trips, kayak rentals, gift certificates for local eateries, spa treatments, pet supplies, and more.

The first 100 attendees receive a box of Norman Love Confections courtesy of The Royal Shell Companies, the event sponsors.

Ellington’s Restaurant, located at 1244 Periwinkle Way, is the location for the fashion show. Cost is $35 per person payable at the door. Lunch choices are 1 Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken, 2 Caesar Salad with Seared Tuna, 3 Vegetable Wrap with Poppy Seed Dressing, 4 Chicken Caesar Wrap. The sommeliers wine choices are: Beaulieu Vineyards Century Cellars Cabernet, Merlot & Chardonnay. A portion of the sommeliers choice wines benefits BIG ARTS. Make your reservation by calling the RSVP line at 239-333-3575 no later than Monday, April 19^th.

Anticipate a fun afternoon celebrating island fashion and life style!

The Royal Shell Companies are comprised of:

• Royal Shell Preferred Properties (www.royalshellsales.com) a full service real estate brokerage,
• Royal Shell Vacations (www.royalshell.com) , vacation rentals providing travelers with quality guest accommodations for short and long term stays in single family homes and condos
• Royal Shell Property Management (www.royalshellpropertymgmt.com) association management.

Royal Shell offers homeowners all the conveniences necessary to get the most out of property ownership.

For additional information contact:

Barbara Harrington

239-229-4267

Barb.harrington@RLRLLC.com

The Spring Special, a caramel almond latte, is available at Coffee Bar @Bailey’s through the end of April.

In celebration of the newly arrived spring season, Coffee Bar @Bailey’s is offering a caramel almond latte special. The taste is sweet but light, and customers may choose whether or not they would like the caramel drizzle on top.

“The caramel almond latte is a festive springtime drink,” said Blanaid Colley, who manages Coffee Bar @Bailey’s. “It has been extremely popular since we introduced it on the first day of spring. We invite everyone down to the ‘Best Coffee Bar None’ to try it out.”

The special 16oz. drink is available for $2.75 through the end of April. It can be enjoyed hot or iced.

Coffee Bar @Bailey’s opened in December 2009. Guests can enjoy espresso-based coffee drinks, including latté, espresso and cappuccino, frappuccino-style cold drinks, smoothies and even Italian cream soda. Loyalty cards are available at the counter and reward customers with a complimentary drink for every nine purchased.

Coffee Bar @Bailey’s is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. just inside the entrance to Bailey’s General Store, located at 2477 Periwinkle Way. For more information, call 239-577-0026 or visit www.sanibelcoffeebar.com.

From L-R: Patrick O’Sullivan, The Autism Fund Manager; Ken Kasten, BCMA President; and Sam Bailey, Baileyfest Founder

To mark Autism Awareness Month, the Bailey’s Center Merchants’ Association (BCMA) presented a check to The Autism Fund last week. The funds were raised at Baileyfest 2009.

Sam Bailey, who founded Baileyfest in 1985, and Ken Kasten, President of the Bailey’s Center Merchants’ Association, presented the $250 check to the Manager of The Autism Fund and Sanibel resident Patrick O’Sullivan.

“On behalf of The Autism Fund Board of Directors, I would like to thank Sam Bailey and the entire Bailey’s Center Merchants’ Association,” said O’Sullivan. “This donation will help local Southwest Florida families get the Autism treatment – Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) – they need for their children. Thank you again BCMA for this kind donation.”

The Autism Fund raises money to provide crucial treatment for children with symptoms on the Autism Spectrum within Florida’s Lee and Collier Counties. For more information or to make a donation, visit www.theautismfund.org.

Sanibel Alliance for Renewable Resources (S.A.R.R.) will host “Sanibel Spring Sunshine Swap” on Saturday, April 10, 2010 from 12-3 p.m. at Bailey’s Center. The Swap, a popular type of event, will offer Sanibel residents and guests a chance to share household items that are no longer needed. Spring cleaning often reveals such items.

“The idea of the swap is to bring anything that you no longer need or want and would like to see go to someone who would find it useful: and browse the items that others have brought to find items that might be useful to you” said Kathy McCabe, SARR Chair. “All are welcome to come and take a look, even if you don’t have anything to bring or don’t plan on taking anything home.”

Items left at the end of the swap will be donated to Island charitable organizations such as F.I.S.H. and Noah’s Ark. Several licensed solar contractors, who meet SARR’s criteria as well as strict renewable resource industry guidelines, will have displays and working examples of solar products.

Refreshments will be available, including snacks made on solar-powered appliances.

For more information, or to reserve a table for your organization or business, or to join SARR, please contact Kelly Ann Packard at kelly@hillgate.biz or 239-472-3400.

SARR membership is free and open to all Sanibel and Captiva residents and property owners; businesses licensed to perform work on Sanibel who offer environmentally-conscious services (solar, water, electrical, landscaping, consulting, etc.); and homeowner and condominium associations.

About Sanibel Alliance for Renewable Resources

SARR was formed in June 2009 to “…educate and encourage the residents and property owners of Sanibel Island to become leaders in the use of renewable resources.” Supported by the City of Sanibel, membership in S.A.R.R. is free and open to any Sanibel resident, homeowner or business licensed on Sanibel. For more information, please visit www.sanibelenergy.com.

On April 1:

• 1700: April Fools tradition popularized.
• 1748: The ruins of Pompeii were found.
• 1929: Louie Marx introduced the Yo-Yo.
• 2010: President Obama is asking Congress to lift the ban on oil drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, only 125 miles from Florida beaches.

Twelve lucky Sanibel School students were named winners of the Bailey’s Center Merchants’ Association spring art contest. All students from kindergarten through third grade were invited to draw a picture of Spring on Sanibel. More than 150 entries were received.

The winners were:

• Kindergarten – Maya Brown, Annabel Crater and Zofia Costa
• First Grade – McKenna Sprecher, Tyler Johns and Rebecca Congress
• Second Grade – Grace Ireland, Andrew McCallion and Angelina Durazzo
• Third Grade – Kathryn Kortegast, Drew Bordiuk, Rachel Michner

All twelve students will received a prize from the BCMA, and the winning pictures will be displayed through Easter at the front of Bailey’s General Store.

More than 125 exhibitors will fill the Sanibel Community Center of Friday and Saturday March 26-27 from 9am to 4:30pm for the Sanibel-Captiva Lions Club 27^th Annual Arts & Crafts Fair.

The event will feature displays of hand-crafted creations, including original paintings, sculptures, photographs, jewelry, furniture, and clothing.

There will be live music by Harry and the Dixie Strollers, a food court and a raffle that will include many fantastic creations, including original jewelry from Lily & Co. This is a great event for the entire family.

Plenty of free parking will be available. The requested donation is $4 and is good for both days; children under 12 are admitted for free. Raffle tickets cost $2 per ticket or $5 for a three ticket pack.

The Sanibel Captiva Lions Club has been dedicated to helping the less fortunate since its inception in 1967. The proceeds from the Arts and Crafts Fair will be used to support various Lions approved charities. To learn more, visit the website at www.sanibelcaptivalions.org and click on “Contributions”.

Some of the local contributions the Lions make go to academic scholarships. The Lions Scholarship Program helps handicapped students at Edison State College and helps other underprivileged families in our area. They also contribute to a wide range of sight-related programs such as the Visually Impaired Persons Rehabilitation Clinic, Southeastern Guide Dogs and Dog Guides for the Blind. They also contribute eyeglasses through the Recycle for Sight Program and conduct local eye screenings – for both children and adults – to aid in preventing blindness.

Sponsors of the event include Bailey’s General Store, Doc Ford’s Sanibel Rum Bar and Grille, Hillgate Communications, Island Graphics, the Island Sun, LCEC, Lily and Co., and Waste Pro. The Sanibel Community Center is located at 2173 Periwinkle Way.

About the Lions Club Charities:

Founded in 1917, Lions Clubs International is the world’s largest service club organization with nearly 1.35 million members in approximately 45,000 clubs in 200 countries and geographical areas around the world.

More than 400 Sanibel residents and guests attended the second annual IrishFest on St. Patrick’s Day in the Bailey’s Center. The Bailey’s Center Merchants’ Association (BCMA) hosted the celebration of the Irish national holiday with traditional food and drink, music, dancing and more.

The event featured several local and well-known acts. The Kellyn Celtic Arts Irish Dance Academy was the first group to perform, and gave lessons after their performance. The BIG ARTS Chorus performed several crowd favorites, including “Blackbird” and “Loch Lomond.” The crowd also enjoyed music from Aislinn Kane (flute) and Carl Nist-Lund (oboe), Canterbury School musicians. Closing out the evening was Art Blatt and the White Caps, who performed a mix of popular Irish songs and Dixieland tunes.

Next year’s event will be held on Thursday, March 17, 2011. The BCMA will host its annual 4^th of July Backyard BBQ on Sunday, July 4, 2010.

On St. Patrick’s Day, more than 400 visited the Bailey’s Center for the second annual IrishFest celebration. Guests enjoyed traditional Irish dishes courtesy of Bailey’s General Store, green beer from Biddles Bucket, and Irish cream lattes from Coffee Bar at Bailey’s. Performances from Kellyn Celtic Arts School of Irish Dance, BIG ARTS chorus, Aislinn Kane and Carl Nist-Lund, and Art Blatt and the White Caps entertained the crowd for three hours on a warm, sunny afternoon.

img_9581-small.jpg

◄ Back

Next ►

Picture 1 of 14

Ric Base, Francis Bailey and Billy Kirkland.

The Bailey’s Center Merchants’ Association (BCMA) will host the second annual IrishFest tonight - Wednesday, March 17, 2010 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the Bailey’s Center. Sanibel residents and guests are invited to celebrate the Irish national holiday with Irish food and drink, music, dancing and more.

The merchants of the Bailey’s Center will open their doors to everyone on the island for a festival to include performances from Kellyn Celtic Arts Irish Dance Academy, Art Blatt and the White Caps, and BIG ARTS chorus.  Biddles Bucket and Bailey’s General Store will serve Irish stew, corn beef and cabbage, Reuben sandwiches, and much more. Coffee Bar @Bailey’s will serve Irish cream lattes.

Ric Base and Bridgit Stone-Budd of the Sanibel and Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce will be the Masters of Ceremonies. Face painting, hair braiding, an appearance by the Sanibel leprechaun (also known as Billy Kirkland of Billy’s Rentals), photos with Irish characters, and a charity drive to support of the Muscular Dystrophy Association are among the activities planned for the day.