Restaurants serve 7,000 at Taste of Bonita

Dominic Calla, sous chef at the Tarpon Bay Restaurant at the Hyatt in Bonita Springs, flips diver sea scallops with roasted tomatoes, shaved onions and golden raisins at the 13th annual Taste of Bonita at Riverside Park.

No one was counting calories at the 13th annual Taste of Bonita at Riverside Park on Sunday.

Most of the food was fried, salted, dunked in sauce or just plain tasty — and that's what brought more than 7,000 to the park as part of a fundraiser to benefit local charities through the Bonita Springs Rotary Noon.

"It's a lot of fun and the restaurants are doing a super job," said Betsy Bridge of Bonita Springs while enjoying an almond crusted grouper she bought at the Tropical Reef Seafood Restaurant. "I don't have a favorite food yet, but there hasn't been anything I haven't liked."

And there was plenty for Bridge to enjoy with more than 35 restaurants from Bonita Springs and Naples showing off their best tasting foods such as Buffalo Chips' fried green tomato with special sauce, Tarpon Bay Restaurant's diver sea scallops and Naples Cheesecake Factory's Key Lime Pie.

"The food was wonderful and these ribs are delicious," said Valerie Schiessl of Estero while devouring Roy's Restaurant's samplings. "It's such a nice day to come out here and have a good time."
Event organizer Tony Valego was glad to see the turnout and thinks the weather provided a perfect day for good eating, drinking and enjoyment.

"People are sitting on their lawn chairs and blankets on the grass and spending time with their family. It's a great day to be out here and enjoying the food," Valego said.

Valego started the Taste of Bonita 13 years ago with only 10 restaurants and 2,500 people to raise money for the Rotary. He hopes this year's event raises $50,000.

Aside from good eats, attendees also enjoyed musical acts and a bigger children's area with a laser tag game, giant slide and bounce house.

"We try to add something every year to make it more of a family event that lasts a few hours," said Valego, who last year moved the event from the Sunshine Plaza to Riverside Park.

Fred Barry, 59, came out to the event with his wife, Shirley, 44, because the day was beautiful and the eating plentiful.

"I love what Bonita has done with this venue, and the quality of life here is wonderful," Fred Barry of Estero said.

"The music and the food is a great experience to taste some of the best of what Bonita has to offer."

Group to honor hospice helper

Daily story for the Local Bonita section

Donna Roberts

Donna Roberts, 66, has shown her love of Bonita Springs and is being recognized for her work by the Bonita Springs Community Foundation.

The foundation named Roberts the 2007 winner of the Love of Bonita award, which honors those who actively promote empowerment, self- sufficiency and make positive changes in others.

"Donna exemplifies what this award is all about. This isn't about someone being able to write a big check, it's about someone putting in the hours and motivating others," said Melanie Dehon, the chair of the Love of Bonita award dinner.

Dehon is organizing the Jan. 20 award gala where Roberts will receive an engraved vase and have a video shown highlighting her work and efforts in bringing Hope Hospice's "Joanne's House" to Bonita Springs.

Past winners of the award include Jacqueline McCurdy, David Short, Ira Hawk, Pat Lord and Richard Miller.

"I think that you go back to your roots and what family you came from and I know I have to give back," said Roberts, who has lived in Bonita Bay for seven years. "You're put on this earth for a certain amount of time and you gotta use it to do good."

Roberts began her service efforts 25 years ago in Detroit when she got involved with the hospice and decided that patient care was her passion.

"Your life is nothing if you don't give back and help. I started out in patient care but quickly moved to fundraising and I was good at it," said Roberts, who created the Women's Committee for Hope Hospice to raise funds to build a location between Fort Myers and Naples.

The committee has raised close to $5 million since 1999 and boasts 300 members, with three fundraisers annually.

"All nominees without exception were outstanding. Donna is an example of someone who gathers others, shares her vision and inspires them to act and share the same vision," said Fran Luessenhop, the vice chair of the Bonita Springs Community Foundation. "She is great at communicating her vision and that made her stand out."

Village String band gears up for new season

Mary McJoynt plays the saxophone as part of the Bonita Village String Band. The band will play during the lighting ceremony on Dec. 5 at Riverside Park in Bonita Springs.

The Bonita Village String Band plays at their own pace. They tap their feet to the beat and sing along in between sets.

The music is classical with an old-time beat and that relaxed enjoyable feel is what the band wants people to feel when they watch their shows.

The group had its first rehearsal for the 2006-2007 season recently and worked hard to get the kinks out.

“We have a need for a violin player and a few others. Some of our members haven’t come from up north yet but we will get it all together for our first show,” said music director Al Dalton.

He put the band together in 1991 after moving to Bonita St. James Village and realizing that he missed the Philadelphia musical groups called “mummers,” which first appeared in that city’s New Year’s Day parade.

The string bands began small in 1902, but became large enough to include saxes and drums much like the group Dalton has created in Bonita Springs.

“I love it and that’s why I’ve stuck with it all these years,” said Barbara Kachensky, who is the associate director for the band and the keyboard player. She has been a member since the beginning and enjoys dressing up in the traditional mummer style, where lively bands play melodies and wear exotic costumes.

The band is voluntary and all proceeds collected during performances are donated to a scholarship fund for students interested in pursuing music.

“We gave four scholarships this year and we are unique because the students are elementary and middle school aged,” said Dalton, about the $1,000 scholarships. “That makes us the only organization in Lee and Collier county that gives money to that age group.”

The money has helped students build careers out of music.

“The collections we take are to help the kids out that can’t help themselves and we have fun doing it,” said Kachensky, whose band has donated 38 scholarships in 15 years.

Having fun is also a big part of rehearsal. As certain songs are sung, dancers will get up and practice some of the routines they will later perform for audiences.

“We have all sorts of fun and have performed all over in mobile home villages, churches and anywhere we fit,” said Earl Sturm, of Bonita Springs. Strum is a founding member and serves as the master of ceremonies for the band making jokes during his announcements.

Members of the band come from Bonita Springs, Naples and Fort Myers and include about 80 musicians and a chorus line.
The group will open their season – about one show a week – with a performance during the lighting ceremony at Riverside Park on Dec. 5 at 5 p.m.

“We are all hams, we love to sing and put on a good show,” Kachensky said. “We have doing it and people always give us a standing ovation.”

Assistance Office gathers food for needy

Yvonne Murray and her grandaughter's puppy Volche hands donated food items to Jessica Novins, the vice president of finance for the Bonita Springs Area Chamber of Commerce. The chamber organized the Harvest and food drive collection in preparation for the holidays.

The Bonita Springs Assistance Office’s pantry is in need of canned food, cereal boxes and other nonperishable items.

The Bonita Springs Area Chamber of Commerce organized its eighth annual Harvest Night at the Promenade at Bonita Bay in Bonita Springs recently to encourage the business community to donate foodstuffs and help the pantry prepare for the holiday season.

“We feed people 52 weeks out of the year and summer is the most difficult time for us because our clients are in such need,” said Lois Hollands, the administrator at the Bonita Springs Assistance Office.

Because the summer months are the Assistance Office’s busiest season, the stockpile of goods is at an all-time low and members of the chamber are doing what they can to help out.

“This is an opportunity for the business community to gain something back to those who may be in need,” said Nancy Keefer, chamber president. “We really care and it’s pretty impressive to see what these people bring to help out.”

The pantry finds that the summer months are most taxing on their clients because it’s a slower working season and many employees get less hours at work and aren’t able to put food on the table to feed their families.

“(Chamber) gives a wide variety of foods and this is a big help because it’s nice to be able to get more food for the holidays,” said Hollands, who said the chamber donated 4,000 pounds of food last year.

Jon McLeod, of Mobile Exposure, is donating his truck to deliver the food collected to the pantry.

“I have the ability to donate my services and this only scratches the surface of what they need,” said McLeod, who has been a member of the chamber for more than four years. “We support them as much as we can but his is a small effort.”

Reading night roars into Springs Creek Elementary Nov. 2006

Dave Kellom and his son Luc, 6, laugh while reading a book about snakes during the Roaring Readers program at Spring Creek Elementary.

Students at Spring Creek Elementary spent a night reading with their parents as part of the Roaring Reading program that promotes reading among families.

The program, which was started years ago, brings parents and children together once a month and the children read in groups, individually and out loud.

“The parents absolutely love it just as much as the kids. It’s their chance to come out spend time with their kids and read,” said Karen Leonardi, the principal at Spring Creek Elementary. “This teaches them a love for reading and literature.”
Keeping that connection with reading is why the school created the program and work to keep the program fresh every month by adding new activities for kids and parents.

In the last year, the school has added a younger readers program in which kids read a book and create an arts or crafts project related to the book.

“We have to do something for the little ones because many of our students have younger siblings and we want to have something for them too,” said Kimberly Donnelly, the media specialist who organizes the program and creates a theme for each month.

Students enjoyed a “wild about books” theme this month by reading about animals and having several items about wild animals spread throughout the media center.

“This is my first time coming to this because my wife normally brings him but it’s really good,” said Dave Kellom, about his six-year-old Luc. He spent time looking at a picture book about snakes with his son who created sound effects as he pointed at pictures.

Program organizers have also added a component for parents to attend while their children listen to stories out loud.
The “Families Building Better Readers” is an informational session in which parents are taught reading strategies and ways to spend time reading with their kids.

“We come every time because we both love to read. We go to the library a lot and get a big ol’ bag of books,” said Barbara Esch, of Bonita Springs. She accompanied her nine-year-old granddaughter Olivia Lynn.

Some parents are even encouraged to volunteer their time to read out loud to students in English and in Spanish.

“I bring both my girls and we come every month. It’s very enjoyable,” said Arturo Simon, 34, of Bonita Springs. “She reads in English and Spanish every night.”

And, that’s what organizers want students to do.

“Having them reading in both languages is good, it teachers them an appreciation for other cultures,” said Leonardi about the program that draws about 130 parents and students.

The next roaring readers program is scheduled for Dec. 11 at the Barnes and Noble at Coconut Point in Estero.