Spirit of the Gulf spreads joy through song

The music is upbeat.

The chorus is lively.

And, the audience captivated.

That’s how best to describe the Spirit of the Gulf Chorus, a Southwest Florida-based women’s chorus that is ranked seventh in the world.

“We sing the kind of music that you feel physically. People get goose bumps from our music,” said chorus director Karen Breidert, who has sung barbershop for 32 years. “We have a great time and it’s show biz quality on a smaller scale.”

The chorus is a member of Sweet Adeline’s International, a worldwide organization of nearly 30,000 women singers committed to the barbershop style of music.

Barbershop music is similar to a cappella, in which the vocals are unaccompanied by instruments and use a four-part melody, explained Breidert about her group, which will be performing holiday songs this month.

“The style has changed. People would be flabbergasted to see that it’s no longer men in straw hats and a garter around their arm,” said Breidert, whose group became charted in 2001.

The Spirit of the Gulf has more than 150 members from Miami, Bonita Springs, Naples, Estero, Fort Myers and as far north as Ocala.

“We got one gal from Ocala! It’s the music that keeps our singers coming from all over,” said Breidert, who describes the group as a large sisterhood. “We want the audience to feel the excitement we feel for this hobby of ours.”

But the hobby is more than hours of driving, the group rehearses regularly and creates costumes for their performances.

“We do a lot of dance moves, especially in the front row to entertain and sell what we are singing,” said spokesperson Paula Lasher, who has been with the group for four and a half years.

Lasher joined because she wanted to try something new but didn’t expect the audition process to be so challenging.

“You have to practice for an audition for about 8 weeks and they give you a learning tape,” Lasher said. “You pick out the song you want but there is a lot more than just singing. You learn technical things, too.”

The technical aspects of the chorus’ performances are modern with costume changes, props and dancing.

“We won the most entertaining chorus award at [the] Internationals ... it was the first time anyone had ever been given that award,” Lasher said.

The Spirit of the Gulf is a non-profit organization and a percentage of money from the shows are donated to a music scholarship.

“It’s a very special group of women who love each other and love to sing,” Breidert said. “While we are working on our songs we are having fun and we want everyone to feel the same.”

Beach Road widening plans concern resident

Property owner Vickee Douglas, Rick Cirtolla, Lee County acquisition manager, and Jennifer Dorning look on at a map of the proposed Bonita Beach Road expansion from Old 41 to Imperial Parkway. Douglas could lose up to 15 feet of her property.

Vickee Douglas isn't happy that the proposed widening of Bonita Beach Road, from four lanes to six, is going to encroach on her property.

She told city officials at a workshop that she's worried about the resale value and what could happen to the tenants that currently live in the property's single-family home.

"This is not good news," said Douglas, who owns a property between Westbrooke Drive and Eastbrooke Drive that faces Bonita Beach Road.

The extension would require the city to purchase 15 feet of Douglas' property for sewer, sidewalks and bike paths.

"The property will get smaller and only a single model home will fit. This might hurt what somebody will be able to do with it when we sell," she said.

The plan calls for the widening of the road between Old 41 and Imperial Parkway — one of the busiest roads in Bonita Springs, with about 30,000 cars per day using the one-mile stretch, according to county traffic counts.

"We are having this workshop to solicit opinions and awareness of what we will need to do," said Nicole Maxey, the senior project manager.

The city of Bonita Springs and Lee County have allocated $7 million to purchase right of way areas.

"We would rather purchase more right of way before more property gets developed out there," said Maxey, whose office has already completed 90 percent of the planning.

Maxey admits that there is no money set aside for this project for the next five years but hopes the city will consider it when it revisits the budget.

"We want this so we can make the traffic better. This is an evacuation route, it connects the north and south corridors and it will give better access to Old 41 and I-75," said Eyra Cash, the project manager for the last year and a half.

Early estimates for the project show it will cost $14.6 million to acquire land and build the road but the earliest work could begin in late 2011.

"It's progress, what are you going to do about it," said Loretta Gallogly, 72, of Bonita Springs.

She has owned a home on Eastbrooke Drive for 18 years and has seen progress come and go.

"They just had our street ripped up and now they did it again for sewer. It's part of progress," said Gallogly, who came out to the workshop to see what was going on although her home won't be directly affected by the widening.

"It's a peaceful area and any growth is good," Gallogly said.

Zumba away the holiday pounds

Thanksgiving is long gone but unfortunately the pounds from eating turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie haven’t disappeared.

But Luz Marina Gil has a way to shed those pounds and have fun at the same time — all before Christmas.

Gil is a certified Zumba instructor who is throwing a Zumba Christmas Bash in Naples to get holiday eaters movin’ and groovin’ to latin rhythms including salsa, reggaeton and flamenco.

“It is going to be a very intense workout for 75 minutes and people will have a great time,” said Gil, who teaches Zumba at several locations in Naples.

Zumba, in technical terms, is a fusion of international music that creates an effective exercise program but to the average participant it’s just plain fun.

“I love it! I love to dance and that’s why I took the class and it’s aggressive,” said said Jeoff Gratton, 62, of Naples, who took a class with Gil at the YMCA in Bonita Springs.
The name “Zumba” comes from a Colombian word meaning to move fast and have fun.

The fiesty latin dance class will cost $20 at the door but Gil encourages people to buy tickets in advance because the class is being capped at 60.

“I’m going to have DJ Nalig from Miami come out and mix all the music and do some fun stuff with it,” said Gil, who won’t be taking too much time to show how to do the dance move. “We will just dance back to back and people can do their best to keep up.”

As part of the ticket price, patrons will also have a chance to participate in a raffle for small prizes and can visit with Santa, who will make an appearance.

“This will be intense but great because it’s right after Thanksgiving and right before Christmas,” joked Gil. “We have to work off some of the food the people have been eating.”

Boat center touts personal touch

The Bonita Boat Center prides itself on having the best customer service in Bonita Springs.

And, that's what separates the boat center from the competition.

"I love boats and everything about them and here we offer great personal service," said operations manager Alex Dolinksi about the company that has been in Bonita Springs for 36 years.

The boating retailer specializes in selling, customizing, detailing and maintaining 11- to 32-foot long Boston Whalers.

"We carry the higher-priced models, but all boaters know that the Boston Whaler is the Mercedes Benz of boats," said Dolinski, who has been with the boat center for four years.
"We don't just let people buy a boat — we give them everything they need," he said.

The boat center offers all types of services, including delivery after purchase, and makes calls to remind customers in need of maintenance service.

"We follow up with service calls, and when you buy a boat from me, we do what it takes to make sure you are taken care of," Dolinski said.

Being taken care of includes boat pickup in need of repair or customized installations.

The center also offers a brokerage service for customers wanting to sell their used boats.

"We also sell used trail-able boats and help people sell them. We just act as a middle man and then the customer can buy a new boat from us," said Dolinski, whose boats range between $10,000 and $250,000.

Boston Whaler boats are easy to sell in Bonita Springs because the area caters to fishing and boating.

"The market for boating is probably the best place in the world," said Dolinski, who sells 80 new boats and 30 used boats a year.

As an extension of their services, the boat center offers customers membership into the Cruise Club.

"We get together every six weeks for lunch on the water or for an overnight trip to the Bahamas and places like that," said Dolinski, who plans the trips based on customer interest.

Customers also have the opportunity to hire a boat captain if they want to become more familiar with certain waterways in the area.

"We work hard to make sure people get the boat that is right for them. We ask when they will boat and what they plan on doing," Dolinski said. "We are rated top 10 as far as customer satisfaction in the country."