WGCU

Producer: Rod Clarke

OK, you’ve turned 16 and you’re ready to venture out into the world and tackle that first after-school or summer job. But what awaits you out there?

Even in good times, it’s tough for a kid to break into the job market. No track record, no experience, no resume. But these are NOT good times. These are very bad times. Record unemployment and foreclosures. A collapsed housing market. A depressed construction industry. Experienced professionals are collecting unemployment insurance, queuing up at food pantries to feed their families and accepting any job they’re lucky enough to find. Where does this leave that high school student?Dannielle Brun’s (like buns) job is helping youngsters prepare to enter the workforce. She and her co-workers at the Workforce Development Board provide them with work readiness training, occupational and life skills. And Brun warns her young charges that they face a formidable challenge.

There are those who remember the past and those who live it. Reenactors bring families and friends together to live like their ancestors and connect with a simpler way of life. Participants like to step back into the Civil War or pioneer days in Florida as their favorite way to have a good old time.

David Southall

Collier County Museum

3301 E. Tamiami Trail

Naples, FL 34112

Hours:

    •   Monday - Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

    •   Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

    •   Closed on National and County Holidays

    •   Accessible to the handicapped

Admission:

    •   Free. Donations accepted.

Contact Information:

    •   Phone: 239-252-8476

www.secondinfantry.com (WWII re-enactors)

Writer/Producer: Kristy Vaughn

It could be the year round warm climate, or it might be the freedom of the open road, but motorcycle culture is fully embraced in Southwest Florida, and the lure of two-wheeled thunder calls out to our spirit of adventure. The city of Fort Myers and Cape Coral have even been snared, and as a result have organized monthly Bike Night events to encourage camaraderie between bikers.  Through the meet-ups, motorcycle clubs, such as Rolling Thunder or Chrome Divas, help to better our community by organizing fundraiser rides for charities, such as Veterans Associations and the March of Dimes.  The charity rides seek to gain awareness for the cause from the general population.  After all, few can resist rubber-necking when a group of bikers roar down our palm tree-lined streets. 

Resources:

http://www.downtownfortmyers.com/Bike_Night/
Fort Myers River District Bike Nights

http://www.chromedivas.com/index.cfm
Chrome Divas National website

http://www.rollingthunderfl2.com/
Rolling Thunder Ch. 2 website

http://www.capecoral.net/Government/ParksRecreation/Events/SpecialEventsDivision/SpecialEventsHome/BikeNight/tabid/1212/Default.aspx
Cape Coral Bike Nights

http://www.bikenightusa.com/events/all/all/FL/date/a
Find Bike Nights across Florida

Writer/Producer/Narrator: Rod Clarke

A visit to one of the region’s dog-friendly parks or beach makes one wonder: Who enjoys them the most; the canines or their owners?

Resources:

Lee County Parks and Recreation Dept.
www.leeparks.org/dog-friendly/index
239-533-7275

Save Our Off-Leash Dog Areas
www.FLSOODA.org

Writer/Producer: Chelle Koster Walton

How do you keep your sanity on a 5-mile-long sandbar a good half-hour boat ride to an island with a bridge that takes you to mainland another half-hour away? It takes a special breed. North Captiva, known also as Upper Captiva or simply North Cap, only recently broke away to become its own island, cleaved from Captiva Island by a hurricane in 1921. Today’s islanders have that same spirit of independence. Sanity? That’s a different issue entirely.

Resources:

North Captiva Island Club Resort, www.northcaptiva.com
Safety Harbor Club, www.safetyharborclub.com  

Writer/Producer: Chelle Koster Walton
 
In the 1930s, Mary Roberts Rinehart, an important mystery novelist of the era and a visitor at Useppa Island’s Izaak Walton Club, bought the nearby 100-acre island of Cabbage Key as a wedding present for her son. Just across the channel from Useppa, Cabbage Key’s historic inn also perches on an Indian shell mound, but there the similarities end. Cabbage Key Inn, built by Rinehart, is all about simplicity and ease with its six simple inn rooms, six cottages, and a beer-guzzling, truth-stretching attitude of fun. What’s there to do on Cabbage Key besides eat, drink, fish, sleep, repeat? Not much -- and that’s how islanders and guests love it.

Resources:

Cabbage Key Inn, www.cabbagekey.com

Writer/Producer: Chelle Koster Walton

 They live on an island with no bridge to the mainland, cut off from the mainstream and -- one could romantically speculate -- all the pressures that come with it. Forget cars and traffic: Boats, golf carts, and feet are their main mode of transportation. Forget typical time schedules: Their islands dictate a way of telling time according to tides, nesting seasons, and sunset. Yet they are faced with their own set of challenges – island fever, for one. They are the unbridged islanders of Useppa, who keep good company with Calusa spirits and the memories of an elite brand of fisherman from the 1910s.

Resources:

Useppa Island Club, www.useppa.com
Captiva Cruises, www.captivacruises.com

201 Community Character
Paddling Festivals
Writer/Producer: Kristy Vaughn

It’s no secret that Southwest Florida is best when viewed by boat. Yet, most motorboats are too large to explore the mangrove tunnels of our area’s estuaries, and the rumble of the boat’s motor would frighten away the majority of wildlife. A more intimate encounter with nature can be had in a canoe or a kayak because they sit closer to the water and, better yet, require no gasoline or oil. Discover the love affair Floridians have with these motor-less boats through paddling festivals. At Charlotte Harbor’s Kayak and Wildlife Festival, a beginner’s first launch is overseen by a trained kayak guide, and veteran paddling enthusiasts meet-up to share tips and techniques. In Naples, the annual Great Dock Canoe Race encourages the competitive spirit through canoe racing and canoe decorating. The paddling festivals are both a reflection of our community’s eccentric character, as well as a way to embrace a culture created from nature.

Resources:

The Great Dock Canoe Race
http://www.greatdockcanoerace.com/

The Dock Restaurant
http://www.dockcraytoncove.com/

Crayton Cove
http://www.craytoncove.com/

Charlotte Harbor Visitor’s Bureau
http://www.charlotteharbortravel.com/index.php

Kayak information
http://www.grandetours.com/

Great Calusa Blueway
http://www.greatcalusablueway.com/

201 Community Character
Fishing Tournaments
Writer/Producer : Shawn Holiday

For many, the ancient art of fishing has transformed into a sport where objective isn’t food but fun. Fishing tournaments in southwest Florida are an exciting and educational way to connect with local waters and some even help protect the species they catch. The Kids Cup Tournament in Punta Gorda gets families fishing for prizes and prestige, but the main winners are the organizations that come together for a great afternoon. It’s the kind of tournament where charity is the winner and schools of fish are doing the teaching.

Resources:

Kids Cup Tournament
www.kidscuptournament.com

Caloosa Catch & Release Tournament
www.caloosacatchandrelease.com

Kayak Fishing Classic
www.kayakfishingclassic.com

201 Community Character
Food Festivals
Writer/Producer: Chelle Koster Walton

Food, glorious food! Southwest Florida celebrates its love of food at festivals throughout the year. Oktoberfest and Greek Fest let foodies peek in on pockets of intriguing ethnic culture, while the Shrimp Festival pays homage to the industry that has claimed an important role in Fort Myers Beach’s history and heritage.

Resources:

Oktoberfest
www.gasc-capecoral.com

Shrimp Festival/Fort Myers Beach
www.fmbchamber.com

Greek Fest
www.greekfestfortmyers.com

203 Regional Getaways
Fantasy Ball Camp
Writer/Producer: Rod Clarke

What kid hasn’t wondered what it would be like to play ball and hang out with the big league players he idolized? You can make those childhood dreams come true with the Boston Red Sox right here in Fort Myers. Welcome to the wild, wonderful and sometimes wacky world of fantasy camp baseball.

Sports Adventures
http://www.sports-adventures.com/

Red Sox Operated Camp
http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/bos/fan_forum/fantasy_camp.jsp

Fantasy Camp Directory
http://www.hihard1.com/

203 Regional Getaways
Out of the Blue
Writer/Producer: Rod Clarke

Why in the world would anyone want to jump out of a perfectly good airplane? Roy Torgeirson and the crew at Sky Dive Southwest Florida say if you have to ask, you wouldn’t understand. For them, skydiving is both a hobby and a way of life that they’d like to share with fellow Southwest Floridians.

Skydive Southwest Florida = http://www.skydiveswflorida.com/

Skydive Air Adventures = http://www.skydivefl.com/

United States Parachute Association = http://www.uspa.org/

Rigs & Things Para-service = http://www.para-service.com/

Writer/Producer: Chelle Koster Walton 

If you ever doubt Southwest Florida boasts variety in its different communities, spend a day in Everglades City and Chokoloskee Island. These throwbacks to early Florida’s wild frontier and commercial fishing heyday beckon with funky seafood houses and their gateway to Everglades National Park.

A small town surrounded by cattle farms and natural Florida…worth
exploring and antiquing…something for everyone in the hometown flavor of
Arcadia.