WEEK OF MAY 17, 2023
VOLUME 61, NUMBER 26
Emergency responders recognized with award By TIFFANY REPECKI
trepecki@breezenewspapers.com
By TIFFANY REPECKI
trepecki@breezenewspapers.com
ime is running out to visit the Sanibel Historical Museum TExecutive and Village before it closes for season. Director Emilie Alfino explained that while it is typically open through July, the village will close early this year on May 31 for hurricane repairs. The grounds will reopen for season on Oct. 17. “That's our last day open for the abbreviated season. We need the time to work on restoring our buildings,” she said, referring to the damages from Hurricane Ian almost eight months ago. Post-storm, the village has reopened four of its nine buildings. “Two of the buildings that are open are traditionally two of our visitors' favorites, the old Bailey General Store and Morning Glories,” Alfino said. Called and still known as the Sanibel Packing Company, the Bailey's store at the village is the second one. The original store
was located on a wharf in the San Carlos Bay and was destroyed by the 1926 hurricane. The second one was rebuilt farther inland, but still on the Pine Island Sound near the docks. Bailey's was always the center of activity on the island. It had telephone and telegraph links, and the steamer, ferry and mailboats stopped at its docks. Islanders voted there, sent and received mail, and caught up on the news. In 1963, the Baileys moved the store to its current Tarpon Bay Road location. A Sears & Roebuck prefabrication, Morning Glories was the Springwood model and cost $2,211. It was milled in New Jersey in 1925 and came in kit form, purchased by Martin and Ada Mayer. It arrived in 30,000 pieces by rail and barge — from lumber to lighting fixtures — and was completed in 1926.
The Sanibel Fire and Rescue District recently honored staff, as well as members of the Sanibel Police Department and Lee County Emergency Medical Services, with the prestigious Phoenix Award. At the May 10 meeting of the fire district's commission, 10 first responders were recognized for their life-saving efforts on April 3. At about 2:30 a.m., a call came in about a cardiac arrest at a residence on the east end of Sanibel. Officials reported that the patient, Jane Henshaw, was found in cardiac arrest. See EMERGENCY RESPONDERS, page 20
IslanderInsIde
See HISTORICAL VILLAGE, page 18 The Sanibel Historical Museum and Village will close early for season this year on May 31. SANIBEL HISTORICAL MUSEUM AND VILLAGE
Shell museum announces speaker for next lecture The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum on Sanibel is continuing with its annual lecture series, which is offered virtually via Zoom and free of charge. The next lecture in the series will be: ∫ Today, May 17, at 5:30 p.m.: “Micromollusks: The Allure of Small Size” with shell museum curator and Science Director Dr. José H. Leal
Dr. José H. Leal
Welcome to the world of micromollusks. Did you know that as you walk on a sandy beach you may be stepping on hundreds of shells the size of a pinhead? Micromollusks, by definition, never grow larger than 5 millimeters (0.2 inches). Despite their small size, the shells of micromollusks can be as attractive as those of their larger-size cousins.
Scientific surveys done in different regions of the planet indicate that the largest share of the marine biodiversity of mollusks consists of micromollusks. The program will present local and global examples, discuss methods for their sampling, study and photography, and discuss some of the biological constraints prompted by extreme reduction in body sizes. Leal was the museum's director between 1996 and 2013. He received his PhD in marine biology and fisheries from the University of Miami. His love for shells and sea life goes back to his childSee LECTURE, page 18
alsOInsIdetOday Guest Commentary........................4 Web Poll.........................................4 Captiva Current..........................6-7 Business......................................8 Preserving Paradise.....................12 Island Living................................14 Sports.........................................16 Classifieds 31