Civic & Community Corner: Hurricane and Lightning Seminar set for Thursday
This Thursday, June 9, at 6 p.m. will be the NFM Civic Association’s annual Hurricane and Lightning Seminar at the Rec Center off Business 41 between Pine Island and Littleton.
The event will be chaired by long-time director Bill Hanners and our vice president, Larry Murphy. In about 90 minutes you can absorb all the info needed to protect your family, home and property, and also pick up numerous handouts to read at your leisure. And with Florida being “The Lightning Capital of the Country” with umpteen thousands of strikes a year, this will be valuable safety knowledge.
Our speaker at our next business meeting (always the second Tuesday of the month from 7 to 9 p.m. at The Recreation Center) on June 14, will be Dana Kasler, director of Lee County Parks and Recreation, who will be revealing plans for a playground and other amenities at Community Park near The Rec Center, and the results of a public survey relating to the Orange Grove pool/park site and what the resultant amenities will be.
Other items of significance at that meeting will be:
1. The distribution of Membership Cards just printed, so come get yours, and if not a member, come join-dues are only $10 a year, $15 for a family and $35 for a Business Member, and no charge whatsoever for a Community Member, which can be either a neighborhood organization, a charity or a house of worship.
2. Plans will be finalized for a proposed Fourth of July Celebration at the Rec Center sponsored by the Civic Association beginning at 6 p.m. featuring hot dogs with all the trimmings, sides, soft drinks, entertainment and watching area fireworks – all free.
3. Nominations and election will be held for one vacant spot on the Board of Directors with a term expiring February of 2018. Any member can throw their hat in the ring by contacting me or getting nominated at the meeting.
4. There will be a discussion about the Florida Scenic By-Ways Program and The Florida Main Street programs and how they can be utilized by Our Town.
5. Plans to sponsor our usual Meet The Candidates Night will be discussed, including a decision as to whether we will include another session for The Primary Elections with all the new faces and ideas that it entails. Al Giacalone is our chairman. Come give us your views and input.
Mark your calendars for our July meeting, July 12 from 7 to 9 pm at The Recreation Center, when our speaker will be Ronni Wood, state director of the Florida Main Street Program, who will be considering our Business 41 as a potential project, with all the training, technical support, maintenance and funding that it might entail.
At least once a year I remind all of you of the Bluegrass Music Summer Jams where a group of musicians gather in a circle or oval and begin making up tempo music on their gee-tars, banjos, mandolins, fiddles and basses, and singing real Americana music. The last couple of years they played at the outdoor pavilion behind the Rec center, but this year they’ve taken their show on the road-about a mile-to The Dolphin Room at Capt’n Fishbones at The Shell Factory on Thursdays from 6 to 8 p.m. They are seeking musicians, singers and listeners. The music is authentic and there is no cover or admission. Give it a try – you’ll become fascinated and a big fan.
All of these meeting and functions are free and open to the public. Come listen, learn and speak up! These are exercises in grassroots democracy at its best.
Public Apathy is the Plague of the 21st Century. Cure yours by volunteering- It’s good for the Heart and Mind.-Mike Land
“Success is not what you gain in life or what you accomplish-it’s what you do for others” – Anonymous
“Never doubt that a small group of concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.”- Margaret Mead
Contact me at 239-823-3631 or mike-land@live.com if you have some event, project or idea that you would like in this column, or with any comments or questions. Thanks for following this column.