This group offers the healing power of female connection in midlife
Tim Aten Knows Tim Aten
Q: Will Costco try again for another building site in South Naples? — Millie Wilcox, East Naples
A: Costco Wholesale Corp. is moving ahead with plans for a second store in Collier County on the southeast corner of Rattlesnake Hammock Road and Collier Boulevard, immediately north of Physicians Regional Medical Center-Collier Boulevard. Site development plans and renderings were created last fall for a 158,316-square-foot Costco store with a freestanding fueling station that would provide relief for the chain’s busy longtime location on Naples Boulevard in North Naples. Costco plans to develop nearly 26 acres on that heavily wooded corner at 8392 Collier Blvd., leaving 4 acres for outparcels fronting Collier Boulevard. The warehouse membership club would include the sale of groceries and merchandise; tire sales and installation areas; walk-in dairy and produce coolers; and a 2,000-square-foot liquor store, according to the warehouse concept plan created in September.
At a staff meeting last fall at Costco in North Naples, employees were told that the newly proposed Costco is targeted to open in 2026. Its construction is expected to be a fast-track project designed to be quickly built, most likely with tilt walls.
In December, the national
See ATEN KNOWS, Page 15A
4A | TEACHINGS OF PEACE
Preparing children for kindergarten
By Harriet Howard Heithaus harriet.heithaus@naplespress.com
Pathways Early Education Center in Immokalee works with nearly 125 children to be school-ready on a level with their more advanced classmates. Unfortunately, there’s still a waiting list of more than 400. Every year Pathways must turn away
the majority of families who need its help. To work toward remedying that, Pathways is expanding to serve 50% more children, giving the program room for more young minds. The organization has embarked on a $2.25 million campaign, Brighter Futures, to improve the infrastructure of its current facility on Colorado Avenue, add mobile units for specialized education and invest in new programs. There are five other childcare/early
Festival wine
By Harriet Howard Heithaus harriet.heithaus@naplespress.com
Bruce Nichols has been working with Naples Winter Wine Festival lots for 19 years, and he’s not easy to impress. But the 25th anniversary festival has done it.
The Jan. 24-26 weekend is an immersion in fine wine, amazingly in a region that has no vineyards. What Naples does have, however, is serious oenophiles who have paired their love for the best vintages with a commitment to philanthropy. Both have helped immeasurably in the development of
a festival focused on wine in multiple ways:
• As the "partner" for top-flight chefs at the Friday Vintner Dinners that attract attendees from the U.S., Canada and Europe
• For the conviviality of the buffet brunch and through the auction of some 52 lots
• For the lots themselves, at least half of which include world-class wines, highlighted by the prize of the festival: Lot 15, the annual Trustee Treasure Trove
learning centers in Immokalee, and those, too, have limited openings. Day care centers exist, but the Pathways mission is to address children with particular needs, its officials explained.
Children with special needs and those who qualify for school readiness funding through Florida from a federal Child Care and Development Fund Block Grant are
See PATHWAYS, Page 9A
The impossible collection
This year it is enough for a full cellar — 239 bottles — of wines that range from rare to outright unavailable.
“That is the most incredible lot. I’ve been in the wine business for 40-plus years, in various forms, and I’ve never seen a collection first of that magnitude, and more importantly of that importance,” observed Nichols, a wine counselor and former store owner. “It’s hands-down impossible to duplicate. No one could ever put that together except the Naples Winter Wine Festival.”
See WINES, Page 8A
Pathways Early Learning Center begins assessing children as young as toddler age for their development. Photo courtesy Pathways Early Learning Center
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The Housing Alliance to host fundraiser
The Housing Alliance, a non-profit organization formed last year to provide information, education and advocacy for accessing and developing attainable housing solutions in Collier County, will host its first-ever fundraiser, Housing Matters Luncheon, Jan. 29 at the Sharon and Timothy Ubben Signature Event Space at Artis•Naples.
During the event there will be a yearend review; celebration of partnerships, programs and lives affected; look into the future of attainable housing; and opportunity to support its ongoing efforts through philanthropy and advocacy.
Attendees will enjoy lunch catered by Delicious By Design which benefits St. Matthew’s House, one of The Housing Alliance’s many collaborators and community partners in the housing and social services space.
The cost to attend is $200 per person. Tickets can be purchased online at thehousingalliance.org
Luxury travel show to benefit Boys & Girls Club
Preferred Travel & Company announced that ticket proceeds from its Annual Luxury Travel Show will support the Boys & Girls Club of Collier County.
This year’s event, themed “The World Is Your Oyster,” is scheduled for 5-7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 10, at Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. The showcase will feature dozens of Preferred Travel’s travel partners, including tour groups, cruise lines, luxury resorts and private jet providers. The evening will include hors d’oeuvres and cocktails.
“Each year, Preferred Travel selects a deserving nonprofit in the community to benefit from our Annual Luxury Travel Show,” said President and CFO Olga Placeres. “We are proud to support Boys & Girls Club, which has impacted thousands of school-age kids in Collier County.”
Tickets to Preferred Travel’s Annual Luxury Travel Show are on sale now and cost $75 per person. For additional information or to purchase a ticket, visit preferrednaples.com or call 239.261.1177.
Fishing expo welcomes captains as speakers
Sunshine Ace Hardware has announced a pair of local fishing experts, Capt. Rick Murphy and Capt. Chris Broome, as featured speakers for the ninth annual Reel in the Sunshine fishing expo on Feb. 8 in Bonita Springs.
The captains will join nearly 20 confirmed vendors who will showcase prod-
ucts and share expertise during the event, which is geared toward amateur and pro anglers alike.
Murphy grew up fishing the waters off Key Biscayne and the Florida Keys, honing his skills in the diverse habitats and shallow waters of Everglades National Park. He operates Murphy’s Law Sportfishing and RM Media and is a fishing guide and professional tournament angler. He is best known as host for his Emmy Award-winning TV show, “Florida Insider Fishing Report,” which provides live fishing reports and product information covering the state of Florida.
Reel in the Sunshine will be held 8 a.m.noon on Saturday, Feb. 8, at Sunshine Ace Hardware, 9100 Bonita Beach Road SE, Bonita Springs. Admission is free. Guests can participate in a charity luncheon and charity giveaway to support Captains for Clean Water, a nonprofit with a mission to restore and protect aquatic ecosystems.
Senior Center to host 2nd annual dementia conference
Baker Senior Center Naples, a nonprofit organization that provides programs and social services for older adults and their families, will host the 2nd annual Dementia Care & Cure Conference on Thursday, Feb. 6, for friends and family of those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
The keynote speaker is Dr. Michael Mullan, executive director and co-founder of the Roskamp Institute, who will share research and discoveries from the institute with a focus on the FDA-approved drugs Leqembi and Kisunia, which have shown promise in slowing the progression of early Alzheimer’s disease.
Other featured speakers include Angela Larson, victim services supervisor for the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, and Bruce Rosenblatt, owner and senior housing advisor for Senior Housing Solutions in Naples.
The event takes place from 9 a.m. to noon at Baker Senior Center Naples, 6200 Autumn Oaks Lane. The cost is $15 per person, which includes a light breakfast. Registration is required and seats are limited. For reservations, contact Mark Beland at mbeland@bakerseniorcenternaples.org or 239.325.4444.
Caxambas Park to reopen soon
Caxambas Park on Marco Island will reopen to the public early this year. The park was destroyed during Hurricane Ian in 2022, and more damage was sustained when hurricanes Helene and Milton rolled through in 2024. Federal Emer-
gency Management Agency officials said the contractor bidding process forced some repairs to start later than expected. Last month, Collier County Commissioner Rick LoCastro said the reopening projection for early 2025 is still on target. This includes completing the work on the concession building, marina store, seawall and docks.
Warrior Homes of Collier opens first of two new properties in 2025
Three Naples men who served their country are starting the new year in a new home thanks to a nonprofit that assists veterans in need with housing, mental health support and access to higher education. With the expansion, Warrior Homes of Collier now operates five residences for local veterans, including the new Echo House, a supportive unit. The new properties became available when the Board of County Commissioners unanimously agreed in November to lease the two rental homes to Warrior Homes of Collier. In a 5-0 vote, commissioners approved an initial one-year lease, with subsequent annual options to renew, of the two vacant, county-owned homes in the Bayshore area. With three available beds in each home, adding the two new homes to its residential inventory will allow Warrior Homes of Collier to provide stable housing to 39 people who pay rent on a sliding scale but never more than 30% of their income. The agreement stipulates that Warrior Homes of Collier pay the county $1,000 per month per property to lease the two rental homes, which the county bought more than 20 years ago for $1.12 million as part of a seven-lot parcel near Bayview Park that it planned to convert into beach and boat access.
$2.9 million allocated in Hurricane Ian recovery efforts
The Florida Department of Commerce awarded more than $2.9 million for longterm Hurricane Ian recovery, funding 25 projects in 19 communities, including the repair and hardening of an existing Greater Naples Fire Rescue District critical facility. These funds, allocated to the state through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery Program, will assist local governments eligible for the Federal Emergency Management Agency Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, which requires a 25% local match. These funds aim to construct, rehabilitate and expand critical infrastructure to support recovery efforts in communities impacted by Hurricane Ian.
Marco Island election hasn’t halted City Council divisiveness
ident grumbled loudly from the audience.
When four new Marco Island City Council members were elected in November, after voters ousted two incumbents, residents and city officials thought it would end the constant division and heated battles.
But in mid-November, six councilors
couldn’t select a chair or vice chair after repeated tie votes. This month was no different — and ironically, it was to select a candidate to fill the seventh seat vacated by Councilor Greg Folley. He was required to resign Nov. 5 after an unsuccessful bid for the State House District 81 seat. (He lost in the August primary.)
“You people are useless, you are crazy,” a res-
Council will hold a special meeting at 2:30
p.m. Jan. 20, before its regular meeting to try again, a Tuesday meeting due to Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The months leading up to the November election were divisive, with residents contending council didn’t listen to them, and businesses and restaurants pushed for a three-month
and Becky Irwin and filling two vacant seats after Chair Jared Grifoni termed out and Councilor Joe Rola opted not to seek re-election. Stephen Gray, Bonita Schwan, Deb Henry and
Group offers healing power of female connection in midlife
By Melanie Pagan
More than 61% of women feel lonely — an emotion strongly correlated with a lack of close friendships — at least some of the time, according to a 2021 Cigna study.
Julie Marvel didn’t know she fell into that statistic while experiencing a difficult divorce from her then-partner of more than 20 years. She just knew she craved community, a dull yet persistent pressure in the heart.
“I was feeling very isolated,” said Marvel, a family photographer at the time. “I decided I need to start making some friends because I saw the clear-eyed picture that I didn't have a support community here.”
In what Marvel described as a state of low selfworth and being too fearful to call a person up for a bite, she posted a lunch group invitation to Meetup.com in October 2018, and bam: What began as a personal quest for healing transformed into a thriving community of thousands of women in Naples and beyond.
“Over the course of the years, it expanded,” Marvel said. “It started to fulfill this need for women, and now it’s just taken off into what I would consider a movement.”
Today, the membership-based women’s social organization Fabulous Ladies has grown to a comprehensive community platform with more than 7,500 members in its Facebook group, 3,000 members on its email list and 600 to 700 women
FEMALE FRIENDSHIP AND HEALTH
• Women 45-65 with strong social networks have a 40% lower risk of chronic health conditions. (Women Living Better)
• 60% of women with close friendships report higher life satisfaction and fewer depression symptoms. (PMC)
• Women with broader social networks in their 60s have a 50% greater chance of living to 85 and up. (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health)
actively attending in-person events. Last October, the organization opened a second chapter in Carmel and Westfield, Indiana, with 700 women joining its Facebook group and 75 paid members attending events in just two months.
The response demonstrates a universal need for meaningful female connections in midlife (most Fabulous Ladies members are between 50 and 70), precisely the stage at which a 2021 Journal of Clinical Nursing study found women to experience heightened feelings of loneliness, particularly those undergoing such life transitions as empty nesting or caregiving.
“We, as women, really spend our whole lives taking care of other people, then we reach an age where life slows down — we’re successful, the kids move out, we become widowed or divorced — and we realize we don’t even know who we are
anymore,” Marvel said. “We’re a little lost; we don’t know who we want to spend time with, and that’s where the group comes in.”
Fabulous Ladies hosts five to seven events weekly, from casual meetups to formal charitable functions. Each event offers something no typical business networking event does: pure friendship at a pivotal period.
To some members, that’s meant everything.
“The stories range from, ‘This saved me from a difficult time in my life’ to ‘I just moved here,’ or ‘I’m an empty nester.’ These are all transitional times where the group has helped so many women along the way,” Marvel said.
Fabulous Ladies operates on a paid monthly or annual membership basis, giving women access to curated in-person events, philanthropic opportunities, a mobile app, health and wellness initiatives, a marketplace and discounts at area shops and services.
To try the community on for size, Marvel suggested joining the private Fabulous Ladies Facebook group.
“Women introduce themselves, post what’s coming up and pictures of what just finished, so it’s a nice place to start,” Marvel said.
For members attending their first event, seasoned participants intentionally ease newcomer’s nerves.
“We’ve set the tone so the rest of the group walks right up to the new person, introduces themselves and starts introducing that new person to everyone else so they feel like they’ve been coming a very long time, even if it’s their first time,” Marvel said.
Fabulous Ladies will eventually expand to other cities, Marvel said, “but for now, we’re really laying the foundation for this season.” Learn more at fabulousladies.vip
Naples looking into purchase of apartments
Naples is considering buying Stillwater Cove apartments in River Park East to prevent an outside developer from removing it from the city’s shrinking affordable-housing inventory.
City Council, sitting as the Community Redevelopment Agency, voted on Jan. 9 to approve funds necessary to conduct two appraisals on the former 95-unit River Park Apartments at 1400 5th Ave. N. and for other due diligence, including environmental studies. Staff will provide that information to the CRA at its Jan. 30 meeting.
“We have $6 million that could be used for acquisition in the current budget that’s untapped,” Chairman Ray Christman said.
He called the special CRA meeting because Connecticut-based Corridor Ventures Inc., which purchased the 11-building complex for $17.5 million in 2021, plans to put it back on the market in April. Corridor Ventures also owns the 104-unit Jade Apartments, which provides affordable rents, but that’s under contract to be sold in late February. Both were damaged by hurricanes Ian and Milton but have since been renovated.
The 3.35-acre Stillwater Cove property in the historically Black River Park East neighborhood is prime real estate in Naples because it’s near the Gordon River and the Gulf of Mexico. It was built in 1969, when the area was developed to house Black workers in a segregated community.
Christman also asked city staff to provide an update on plans for 160190 10th St. N., a former auto shop and consignment shop property the CRA purchased for $4.9 million last February to build about a dozen affordable apartments for teachers, police officers and other workers within city limits. The CRA hired CBRE as a consultant to research affordable-housing options.
Unlike unincorporated Collier County, which has thousands of undeveloped acres, Naples is built out. Two other affordable-apartment complexes — totaling 142 subsidized units — in River Park West remain in the city. The affordability
Among other activities, members of Fabulous Ladies participate in sunset beach mingles and sunset boat tours. Contributed
Julie Marvel
By Aisling Swift
See MARCO, Page 9A
By Aisling Swift
By Kelly J. Farrell
‘The perfect time for their presence’ Monks’ visit leaves lasting impression on Naples
As people suffer from economic hardships, natural disasters, political unrest and other issues, a recent visit from Tibetan Buddhist monks brought peace and relief to Naples.
“I don’t talk much about God, past life, previous life. I talk about the present life, how to face the problems, how to improve our life, change perspective and lifestyle,” said Geshe Dawa, a monk from Gaden Shartse Monastery of South India. “It’s very important to make our lives easier.”
Dawa, joined by several other monks and with a travel guide at their side, worked daily on the construction of a colorful, sacred sand mandala at Unity of Naples, a nondenominational spiritual community in East Naples.
Dawa led several teachings throughout the week — Jan. 5-12 — at Unity. Throughout those days, each colorful grain of sand was placed with purpose to create the castle of Green Tara, who among her teachings, demonstrates that women, too, attain spiritual enlightenment.
The week culminated in the dissolution of the sand mandala with a practice of accepting impermanence, Dawa said. The name Geshe is an honorific, like the word monk or nun. Dawa was joined by several non-English speaking monks, as well.
“It was the perfect time for their presence, their wholeheartedness,” said Angela Black, Unity’s director of youth and family programing. Black, a former Southern California resident of Jicarilla Apache descent, described and embodied the multicultural community at Unity.
She was touched by the timing of the teachings with wildfires in Southern California destroying homes and businesses, threatening lives of people, plants and animals. The monks’ teachings provided a full circle experience for Black, who had previously been a surfer benefiting from the chants of Tibetan Buddhist monks in Southern California, much as she did this week in Naples, she said.
“We’d hear the chanting and always feel peaceful there,” Black said. “We were invited into the temple, sandy surfers. That’s what their visit has brought here: so much peace.”
“For the monks to be here at this particular time in humanity is profound,” echoed Tamara Ramesar, of Unity of Naples.
Ramesar was among the people who experienced the mandala’s completion, which included being swept away into a heap of sand, then separated into blessings released in the campus lake and portioned and taken home by attendees to protect and purify homes.
Nearly 1,000 people visited the Unity campus for the mandala’s creation and the teachings throughout the week, Unity leaders estimated.
“We are not going to stop any wildfire,” said Joseph Benson, who served as the tour guide for the monks. “What we will do, after you talk with Dawa and the Geshes, is make it easier to have compassion.”
“It was so uplifting,” said Naples resident Vadha Rajaratnam, who attended the closing ceremony on Sunday.
TOP: Gesha Dawa, a Tibetan Buddhist monk of Gaden Shartse Monastery of India, creates sand blessings out of the colorful sands swept away from the handmade mandala of the castle of Green Tara as an offering of protection and purification to hundreds of visitors at Unity of Naples on Jan. 12 in a practice of accepting impermanence.
ABOVE: A mandala of the castle of Green Tara, who is known by Buddhists and Hindus for her compassionate action to save beings from suffering, took five days and four monks to create and only minutes to dissolve in a practice of accepting impermanence.
RIGHT: Gesha Dawa, a Tibetan Buddhist monk visiting Unity of Naples from the Gaden Shartse Monastery in India, and Rett Alsbrook of Naples share moments embracing the teachings of Buddhism on Jan. 9, ahead of a talk by Dawa about the Four Noble Truths, core Buddhist principles related to ending suffering..
Photos by Kelly J Farrell
One should learn the skills of how to live, much like one learns to cook, said Dawa. Getting the ingredients won’t be much help, until we learn the skills of what to do with them, he explained.
Buddhism, at its core, has the basic teaching of the Four Noble Truths, which explore suffering, its causes, how to alleviate suffering and the path to full alleviation, Dawa relayed in one of several talks.
People don’t want to talk about suffering, he said. But they need to know it and investigate the causes, to learn how to avoid the causes.
Negative emotions are a sign of a wrong view, of delusion, he said. People feel uncomfortable talking about mental health, but this is where suffering can be decreased, he said.
Although practices such as meditation are important and helpful, said Dawa, even more so is practicing compassion, understanding, patience — all of these — along with contemplating and investigating the real nature of things.
It is Dawa’s first trip to the United States on his 15-month long tour, and a second visit of monks from Gaden Shartse Monastery to Unity of Naples, returning after 14 years.
The creation of the mandala took six hours per day for five days, with four monks working on it.
The creation took discipline and patience with the Green Tara mantra, Om Tare Tuttare Ture Svaha, written within it. Her name means star and also to save, as she rescues beings from suffering, according to Buddhist and Hindu beliefs.
“The principles, the core of being good in Buddhism and Christianity are on the same level,” said Cyndi Cassidy of Naples following the mandala dissolution ceremony.
“We found it so interesting that what the monks were saying was simpatico with the beliefs we have,” echoed Sudie Minamyer, a Unity member who serves as treasurer of the board. “We call it the practical application of spiritual principles.”
The sweeping away of the sands of the mandala can help create some ease in accepting impermanence, Dawa said.
“There must be change in everything. If we understand this and know to accept this reality of impermanence, our mind will be prepared,” he said. “For California, also we practice like this. In Buddhism, a natural disaster is from negative karma created from previous or earlier life; we cannot change it much.
“Our only action is to accept it. We think of how to solve it. How to again make this world a better place,” continued Dawa, who had just been in Malibu weeks before coming to Naples.
“Natural disasters can be anywhere. This time [it] is California, people are suffering. Maybe someday it will be us suffering in the same way. We need to help.”
Dawa compared it to taking care of our parents. “One day we will be old like them. Don’t be arrogant. Be humble,” he advised.
We cannot change the past or worry too much about the future, but we can be kind now, said Dawa, as he headed off to give his final talk in Miami Sunday, before resting and returning to the monastery in India.
TIBETAN BUDDHIST MONKS IN NAPLES
Venerable Geshe Lharampa Tsering Dawa of the Gaden Monastery uses a chakpor tool to carefully place sand to create
colorful mandala. Photos by Liz Gorman
Monks from the Gaden Monastery chant before pouring the sand of the mandala into the lake at Unity of Naples.
Venerable Lobsang Tsultrim of the Gaden Monastery pours the final grains of sand into the lake.
A close-up of the mandala being swept away. The monks placed sand into bags for attendees to take home, and set some aside to be poured into the lake.
Live auction features unique experiences for 2025 NWWF
Special to The Naples Press
The 2025 Naples Winter Wine Festival is less than two weeks away, and anticipation is building as even more wine, travel and cuisine experiences are unveiled, including a seven-night Northeast escape featuring wellness, adventure and music; an Australian experience with Penfolds, including the Melbourne Cup; and a five-day adventure with exclusive wine tastings and dinners through Seoul, South Korea, hosted by Shafer Vineyards’ managing director Matthew Sharp, plus an insider’s visit to Shafer Vineyards in Napa Valley.
These experiences are the latest of many curated, one-of-a-kind auction lots to be announced for the 2025 Naples Winter Wine Festival. The NWWF returns for its 25th anniversary to The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón Jan. 24-26. The NWWF is one of the world’s most prestigious charity wine auctions, raising almost $302 million and making a difference in the lives of 350,000 children in Collier County since its inception in 2001.
“We are excited to reveal this latest collection of live auction lots which combine amazing wine, travel and cuisine experiences that could not be found anywhere else,” said Ashley Gerry, 2025 NWWF auction lot committee member. “We hope supporters come out and bid high and bid often so we can further support critical programs for underprivileged children in our community.”
Auction lot highlights include:
• “The Sophistication of Milan and the Majesty of GAJA”: Five couples will enjoy six intimate Italian nights in Milan and Barolo. The travel experience includes two nights’ accommodations in Junior Suites at the Mandarin Oriental in Milan and four nights’ accommodations at the private villa MON in Monforte d’Alba featuring six deluxe ensuite rooms; hidden garden with pool and magnificent scenic views; intimate spa with sauna and steam rooms; and dedicated 24-hour concierge. Guests will tour and visit GAJA winery hosted by a family member, with a private, five-decade vertical tasting followed by a multi-course lunch. They also will experience a truffle-hunting excursion and enjoy breakfast daily. The winning bidders also will share a 5-liter bottle of 1997 GAJA Sperss Langhe Nebbiolo DOC.
• “Where Wellness Meets Melody”: Two couples will go on a seven-night Northeast escape featuring wellness, adventure and music. The journey begins with three nights’ all-inclusive luxury stay at Canyon Ranch in Lenox, Massachusetts, including tailored packages; unlimited use of spa, fitness and pool facilities; access to more than 30 complimentary daily activities; and three nutritious farm-fresh meals daily along with unlimited snacks and non-alcoholic beverages throughout the resort. Guests will then travel to the Hudson Valley for four nights in Ridge Suites at Wildflower Farms, Auberge Resorts Collection. While there, they will enjoy four Box Suite tickets at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts with VIP concert amenities to a concert of the winning bidders’ choosing in summer 2025, including entry through the member gate, access to the member lounge and a buffet dinner. Guests also will receive four tickets to The Museum at Bethel Woods with a behind-the-scenes tour;
one full-day Taste of the Track experience at Monticello Motor Club; and one 60-minute spa treatment per person at Thistle, An Auberge Spa. The package includes private air from Naples, Florida, to Pittsfield, Massachusetts, from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, to Hudson Valley, New York, and from Hudson Valley, New York, back to Naples, Florida.
• “Eastbound Westbound: A Journey through Napa and Bordeaux”: Two couples will travel on a seven-day luxurious East and West journey through the world’s premier wine regions in Napa Valley, California, and Bordeaux, France, hosted by ADAMVS proprietor Denise Adams. The journey begins with three nights’ accommodations in Napa, where guests will enjoy a private biodynamic vineyard tour at ADAMVS hosted by Adams, followed by lunch. They also will enjoy an exclusive private screening at Cameo Cinema in St. Helena of the documentary Eastbound Westbound featuring ADAMVS and Château Fonplégade; a private guided tour of the art collection at the Kramlich Residence and Collection; a private multi-course farm-to-table dinner at ADAMVS prepared by a renowned chef and paired with ADAMVS wines; and two dining experiences at Napa’s finest restaurants with custom menus. The couples will then fly one-way private air from Napa to Bordeaux on a Gulfstream 550. In Bordeaux, they will enjoy three nights’ accommodations at the private estate residence at Château Fonplégade in Saint-Émilion. Experiences will include a private biodynamic vineyard tour hosted by Adams at Château Fonplégade, a custom blending session to create a personalized Bordeaux blend and exclusive visits to Bordeaux estates with private tours and tastings at prestigious Right Bank estates. Guests also will enjoy a private hands-on cooking class at Château Fonplégade with a renowned French chef and a private multi-course dinner at Château Fonplégade paired with the estate’s wines. The package also includes a collection of wines,
TICKET PACKAGE INFORMATION
Ticket packages for the 25th annual Naples Winter Wine Festival start at $17,500 per couple for a Double Magnum package and $40,000 for two couples to experience a Jeroboam Package. For additional information, visit napleswinefestival.com/ about-the-festival For additional information on the Naples Children & Education Foundation or the Naples Winter Wine Festival, contact Lisa Juliano at lisa@napleswinefestival.com or 239.514.2239.
including one 3-liter bottle of 2015 ADAMVS QUINTVS Cabernet Sauvignon; one 3-liter bottle of 2015 Château Fonplégade; six 750ml bottles of 2011 ADAMVS Cabernet Sauvignon; six 750ml bottles of 2011 Château Fonplégade; and four 750ml bottles of the winners’ custom blended wine.
• “The Best of Penfolds in Australia and Napa”: Two couples will enjoy a five-night experience in Australia on Nov. 3-8, 2025, with Penfolds — including the 2025 Melbourne Cup — plus three nights in Napa Valley, California. The trip begins in Melbourne with two nights’ accommodations at a luxury hotel and four tickets to the Melbourne Cup horse race on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, with seats in the Penfolds Marquee lounge overlooking the Birdcage track and mounting yard, including food and select Penfolds wines in the lounge. Guests will then travel to Adelaide for three nights’ accommodations at a luxury hotel. While there,
they will enjoy an in-depth tour of Penfolds Kalimna Homestead in Barossa Valley with a Penfolds winemaker, along with an aerial view of the Barossa region, including lunch and fortified wine tasting; morning VIP tour of the Fleurieu Peninsula; and evening private tour of Magill Estate accompanied by a Penfolds winemaker, followed by a seven-course icon wine pairing dinner. Then, it’s off to Rutherford, California, for three nights at Penfolds’ 1913 Private Arts & Crafts residence. There, the couples will enjoy a five-course degustation wine dinner hosted by a Penfolds ambassador featuring Penfolds California Collection of wines, a private Diamond Mountain vineyard tour, picnic lunch and wine tasting, as well as a hot air balloon tour and wine country brunch and a private tasting experience at Etude Winery and Frank Family Winery. The trip includes roundtrip, business class airfare from the United States to Australia and one-way commercial airfare from Melbourne to Adelaide. The couples also will share 12 assorted 750ml bottles of Penfolds wines from both Australia and Napa, including two bottles of highly sought-after 2018 Penfolds Bin 95 Grange.
• “Classic Cars and Cutting-Edge Wine”: One winning couple will receive a 2024 Ford Bronco Raptor 4x4 pick-up truck with Oxford White exterior, gray top and black onyx seats and then share a VIP experience together with a guest couple at the 2025 Monterey Car Week in Pebble Beach, California, hosted by Ford Motor Company and CEO Jim Farley on Aug. 13-18, 2025, plus two nights in Healdsburg, California. While in Monterey, the two couples will enjoy five nights’ accommodations in Suites at Carmel Valley Ranch. During their stay, they will visit with Jim Farley at his private garage in Monterey, including lunch, join Ford as their guest at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering and walk the lawn with Farley and others. Guests also will accompany Ford at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca on Friday with a track experience, including access to the paddocks, followed by a special lunch with Farley in the Driver’s Club on Saturday, as well as four tickets to the Sunday Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, including a closing lunch with Farley. While in the area, the winners will also enjoy a multi-course dinner at Cella Restaurant, paired with select Aperture wines. Then, it’s off to Healdsburg for two nights at Montage Healdsburg, including an elevated VIP tasting experience at the Aperture Cellars estate. The winning couple also will receive a 1.5-liter bottle of 2022 Aperture Cellars Bordeaux Red Blend and a 1.5-liter 2022 Aperture Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon.
• “Heart and Seoul”: Two couples will embark on a five-day adventure through Seoul, South Korea, hosted by Matthew Sharp, Shafer’s managing director, plus an insider’s visit to Shafer Vineyards in Napa Valley, California. The journey begins with round-trip, business class airfare from the United States to Seoul, where guests will enjoy four nights’ accommodations at the five-star The Westin Josun Seoul along with dinner at The Ninth Gate, including an exclusive wine tasting with the estate sommelier; dinner at Michelin-starred L’Amant Secret; and dinner at the iconic Michelin-starred Eatanic Garden. Guests also will have a private See AUCTION, Page 9A
With one of the many unique auction lots, two couples will embark on a five-day adventure through Seoul, South Korea, including a shopping and dining experience at House of Shinsegae.
Photo courtesy Naples Winter Wine Festival
Funding needs still exist for Collier County agencies serving children
otherwise be inaccessible.
By Tim Aten tim.aten@naplespress.com
Although the more than $300 million raised by the Naples Winter Wine Festival has made a hefty and heartfelt difference in the lives of thousands of children in Collier County for decades, local needs still exist for nonprofit organizations serving underprivileged and at-risk children.
“Despite our tremendous success for nearly 25 years, the growth and adversities we have experienced in Collier have also led to greater needs,” said Maria Jimenez-Lara, CEO of Naples Children & Education Foundation, the founder and organizer of the annual wine festival.
Two areas — mental health services and early learning programs — especially still have critical needs in Collier County, JimenezLara said.
“Mental health services need substantial expansion,” she said.
“Behavioral problems among kindergarten, first- and second-grade students are at historically high levels. Since 2012, our Mental Health Initiative has provided over 85,000 youth with mental health services and treatment, but we still struggle to reach some children.”
Tragically, deaths by suicide have greatly increased in recent years. Suicide is the number one cause of death for children ages 14 to 15.
In addition to mental health services, early learning opportunities are insufficient, Jimenez-Lara said.
“We have made significant advancements, but about 75% of 4-year-olds are still not enrolled in high-quality early learning programs,” she said. “Research has consistently shown that high-quality, early childhood education produces extensive benefits, including better academic performance, higher graduation rates and stronger socio-emotional skills.”
Among other concerns, 65% of public-school students qualify for
The high bidder is buying, thanks to the generosity of the donating trustees, extremely exclusive, small-harvest wines that may otherwise be unobtainable in certain vintages. There are such names as Screaming Eagle from California and Giuseppe Quintarelli, with an Italian 2015 Amarone della Valpolicella Riserva that retails in the $750 range. A Spanish Tempranillo vintage from Pingus, a favorite of wine authority Robert Parker, is in the Trove. (A full list of all the lots is available at nwwf.org.)
The largest groupings of wines aren’t, however, up for bid. During the buffet luncheon and throughout the auction on Jan. 25, servers stand ready to pour a glass from what Nichols estimates as around 500 wines that the festival maintains in a storage unit, some of them from trustees, others from helpful donors in Naples. There’s a tasting station where attendees get an idea of what they want to drink.
“You won’t see very many that we have a dozen of the same one,” Nichols said. “So when I say we have north of 500 or 600 wines, there may only be one or two bottles of those.” Inside the auction tent is yet another grouping: “Under the tent, the wines there are primarily much higher profile, if you will. And those wines would be, a lot of them, donated by the wineries themselves. So if you’re under the tent on auction day, you’re drinking some of the finest wines in the world.”
There are as many as 400 bottles — outside the Trustees Treasure Trove lot — coming to this festival for the live auction, traveling from the U.S., Europe, South America and Australia. A number of them are in large-format bottles
free or reduced-price meals, and 8.8% of Collier youth lack health insurance, Jimenez-Lara said.
Giving 100%
More than 50 nonprofit organizations serving underprivileged and at-risk children in Collier benefited from the more than $33 million raised last year by NCEF at the wine festival’s live auction. Dispelling a common misconception, Jimenez-Lara said every dollar raised by the festival is dedicated to children’s services and reinvested into the community every year.
“NCEF, the founding organiza-
tion of the festival, directs 100% of festival proceeds to fund essential services for at-risk and underprivileged children in Collier County,” she said. “Through the funds raised at the festival, NCEF fills a critical void for vulnerable children as the largest single source of funding for their essential services. This would not be possible without the incredible generosity of individuals and partners who attend the festival.”
NCEF and its network of partners have been a lifeline for 350,000 Collier children in the past 25 years by providing them with essential services that would
“For example, we established seven ‘strategic initiatives’ that address the needs of the whole child,” JimenezLara said. “The initiatives have ensured that children and youth have access to early learning programs and quality academic support throughout their schooling; social and emotional support to help them learn and excel; and medical care to keep them happy, healthy and engaged.”
Over the years, festival proceeds of nearly $302 million since 2001 have been invested in more than 90 nonprofit partners, with transformative effects among Collier children, Jimenez-Lara said. NCEF is especially proud of these achievements:
• A 91% high school graduation rate countywide, up from 72.5% in 2011, and an 87.4% graduation rate at Immokalee High School, an improvement from 65% in 2011.
• Nearly two-thirds, 65%, of the children who attended voluntary pre-kindergarten were deemed “ready for kindergarten” in 20232024.
• A 35% decrease in the number of juvenile arrests from 20192022.
“These and other statistics reflect the effectiveness of the comprehensive systems of care that we helped developed over our first quarter-century,” Jimenez-Lara said. “We and our partners are truly changing lives and leveling the playing field for the most vulnerable children in our community.”
such as the magnum, which holds 10 glasses of wine, and the jeroboam, which holds roughly 25 glasses and is like pouring from a Mack truck trailer for the host.
Adding to worries about their vulnerability to breakage is the need for climate control; these are wines that can lose their character when the ambient temperature rises above 65 degrees.
Nichols is excited about the Merlot-based Petrus, and Liger-Belair (a Burgundy wine) on the lot list. Neither is distributed in Florida; Petrus, in fact, only comes to collectors by order in the U.S.
A word for Burgundy
“These are wineries that make 400 cases a year, or whatever that number is, miniscule by comparisons for most wines. And they’re so rare because — a. Burgundy, (France),” Nichols said of the Liger-Belair wine.
“The genesis of that region goes clear back to the melting of the Ice Age,” he said. “When the Ice Age ended and the water receded, the sediment or the rocks or the stones or whatever was left in that region just makes some of the finest wines in the world.”
Even a starting-level Burgundy is going to be $20 to $30 higher than the red wine of choice
in Naples, Cabernet Sauvignon. Nichols hopes hearing about it from the festival will encourage people to try it.
“It’s an investment, not an expense, because of the pleasure you get from drinking a good Burgundy,” he declared.
Late trustee Michael D’Alesandro recruited Nichols to help him procure some of the incoming wine for the auction lots.
“And as it is with many of the people who have become involved with the wine festival, it tends to expand,” he said with a smile. But the festival’s volunteers are a critical part of its success. “It takes a village. It’s not just one person.”
Some 350,000 Collier County children have benefited in the past 25 years from the nearly $302 million raised by the Naples Winter Wine Festival, founded in 2001 by the Naples Children & Education Foundation. Photo courtesy NCEF
Maria Jimenez-Lara
Half of this year's NWWF auction lots include world-class wines, highlighted by the prize of the festival: Lot 15, the annual Trustee Treasure Trove. Contributed photo
From page 1A
prioritized. So are children whose families are being served by the Florida Department of Children and Families or who are in foster care.
“Early education is definitely the first stepping stone because this is the age, infant all the way through 5 years of age, which is where we observe at Pathways, when we would be able to recognize different deficits in each child.” explained Michelle Blackmon, Pathways Center director.
What the data show
Statistics support the mission: According to studies supported by Harvard University, 90% of a child’s brain develops in the first five years. A Michigan school study that followed children from their years in an early learning program to age 40 found them 25% more likely to graduate high school.
Similarly, a study by the Franklin Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina found its group of early childhood learners four times as likely to have completed a bachelor’s degree or higher by age 30.
Pathways has been filling that early assessment and education need since 1964, when it remodeled the space inside an old bathhouse for farmworkers to become its first center. Since then it has grown and developed its programs to the point that its children are surpassing both Collier County and Florida levels for kindergarten readiness, according to the organization’s spring 2024 impact statement.
Some 80% of children who attended Pathways programs for two or more years met the benchmark for kindergarten readiness.
Part of its success, Blackmon points out, is that Pathways treats its students holistically.
They interview “not really for ‘Is the child a good fit?’ so much as for ‘Are there any needs for the family?’” Blackmon said. Basic needs are met — a shower and a clothes closet — and the children receive breakfast, lunch and a heavy afternoon snack daily. Children receive dental in addition to health checks. The center’s 2024 impact statement says it provided 62,300-plus pounds of food and supplies such as kitchen and laundry needs to families.
It also provided 125 vision and hearing checkups and 340 hours of swimming lessons.
The center depends largely on outside funding, but it wants all families to be invested, so they are responsible for a very small amount of the tuition, from $5 to $125 a week, depending on household income.
It has been a godsend for the family of José Ismael, a landscaper who lives in Immokalee. Both he and his wife work, and Pathways provided the speech therapy their first child needed. The organization observed that he needed dental work, too.
“Pathways has bumped him up real good,” Ismael said. “The dental program helped him a lot.” Pathways has done it in a way that appealed to him, too, he added: “He likes it.”
The couple has brought their toddler into the program, as well: “We’re looking for them to be prepared for kindergarten. Pathways is helping for them to be able to learn.”
Local photographer Brian Tietz collaborated on the Brighter Future mission with a photo series portraying Pathways’ young students as the future career leaders they
can see themselves becoming — doctors, teachers, firefighters, pilots. The Ismaels’ older son was one of its subjects, playing the corporate executive role.
But that’s not necessarily his goal, his father said, chuckling: “He wants to be everywhere!”
Darrin Palumbo recommended they move to their second choice, Bryant and Winter.
“I’d like to try to get some resolution here,” Palumbo said.
The $2.25 million initiative is supported by a $750,000 matching gift from the George and Cindy Rusu Family Foundation for all new and increased gifts, now through March 31. Those interested in learning more about Pathways can visit its website, pathwaysearlyeducation.org
From page 7A
suite experience in a sky box at Incheon SSG Landers Field during a Landers baseball game, along with a round of golf at a Shinsegae-owned club and a shopping and dining experience at House of Shinsegae with a tour and tasting at one of the most preeminent collections of wines in the world. In Napa Valley, the couples will enjoy an exclusive tour and tasting at Shafer Vineyards, hosted by Sharp, including an ultra-rare tasting of multiple vintages of Hillside Select from the past 20+ years, and dinner under the stars with Shafer library wines poured by winemaker Elias Fernandez and a private performance by internationally recognized guitarist Jeff Wells. To remember their experience, the couples will share six 6-liter bottles of Shafer Hillside Select (one each: 2007, 2010, 2012, 2016, 2018 and 2021).
• “Million Dollar Night of Music with Scotty McCreery:” Bidders will have the opportunity to be one of just 40 couples who will attend an exclusive acoustic concert featuring award-winning artist Scotty McCreery at The Club Room at Campiello in Naples, Florida, on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. For $25,000 per couple, the night will begin with a cocktail reception followed by a delectable dinner served with wines and a live performance by McCreery. This North Carolina native first came onto the national scene when he made history in 2011 as both the first country artist and the youngest male artist of any genre to debut his first studio album, the Platinum-certified Clear As Day, at No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard Top 200 Album chart. Since then, he’s racked up accolades, including being an ACM and CMT award winner and being inducted into the Grand Ole Opry.
• “The Paris of Your Dreams”: Three couples will experience three Parisian nights with Colgin Cellars and LVMH hosted by proprietors Ann Colgin and Joe Wender. The trip begins with three nights’ accommodations in either the Quintessence Suite or the Ravel Suite at Cheval Blanc Paris. During their stay, the couples will enjoy a private guided tour of the art exhibits at the Fondation Louis Vuitton and a rare and exclusive tour of the Christian Dior Atelier, followed by lunch at Le Restaurant Monsieur Dior. They also will experience a private tour of the recently refurbished and reopened Notre-Dame Cathedral. One-of-a-kind meals will include a private dinner at the exclusive, invitation only, LVMH Apartment with wines from the LVMH Vins d’Exception group featuring classic vintages from Colgin Cellars and exceptional wines poured from Château Cheval Blanc, Château d’Yquem and Domaine des Lambrays; an exclusive dinner hosted by Ann Colgin and Joe Wender at one of their favorite restaurants in Paris, served with a selection of fine wines; and a retrospective dining experience at three Michelin-starred Plénitude, featuring Colgin Cellars wines. This lot also includes an incredible collection of fine wines, including two 3-liter bottles of Colgin Cellars Tychson Hill (one each from 2005 and 2010); two 3-liter bottles of Colgin Cellars Cariad (one each from 2005 and 2010); and two 3-liter bottles of Colgin Cellars IX Estate (one each from 2005 and 2010).
“These extraordinary live auction lots combine some of the world’s very best wines with some truly remarkable travel and dining opportunities, and are generating a lot of enthusiasm,” said Debbi Cary, 2025 NWWF action lot committee member. “They are the perfect addition to what promises to be an amazing silver anniversary celebration of the Naples Winter Wine Festival.”
Tamara Goehler were elected.
After the election, the city asked residents to apply for Folley’s seat. In December, councilors whittled 26 applicants to four and councilors each interviewed candidates separately before the Jan. 6 council meeting. At the meeting, they filled out a paper ballot to select the top candidate.
But that led to ties, with David Leaser and Teri Sommerfeld as the No. 1 choice with six votes and Daniel Bryant and Martin Winter tying for No. 2 with three. Acting Chair Erik Brechnitz asked if anyone would consider switching their vote. No one would.
Assistant City Attorney David Tolces urged councilors to continue the discussion to reach a consensus, but that failed. Brechnitz suggested interviewing Leaser and Sommerfield. They did and voted — only to tie again. Councilor
Tolces repeatedly urged them to continue discussing the top two, but Brechnitz believed they might reach a consensus if they interviewed the second choices. That failed.
All candidates agreed that the water quality and the island’s waterways was the top issue, in addition to traffic, controlling growth and beach renourishment.
Schwan suggested they nominate others in order to move forward. “There’s no harm in it,” Schwan added.
Gray recommended looking at all 26 applicants again or letting residents vote with a special election, adding, “I would really welcome the community to make this decision.”
However, the city’s charter says the council shall fill a mid-term vacancy, Tolces advised them.
Palumbo suggested flipping a coin and
Schwann suggested selecting the November election’s fifth vote-getter, Irwin.
City Manager Michael McNees pleaded with them to adhere to the charter, which they promised to uphold as councilors when they took the oath of office.
“What I believe is in play here is a lot of residual energy from what was a very divided election here on the city of Marco Island,” McNees said, noting it trickled down from a “very divided” national election. “… Everyone understands politics is not a team sport, but governance is a team sport. If you want to move forward for the good of the city of Marco, it is a team sport.”
He said he was appealing to them to make a selection that night.
“What was the oath you took? Was it to support one side of the contentious election that we’ve all just been through, or was it to advance the interests and support the application of the charter of the City of Marco Island?” he asked.
“That’s going to mean maybe somebody’s going
to have to compromise, but to leave this hanging and to make up a process that’s against the charter, I don’t know what the message is … I think if you’ll put in the effort, you’ll figure it out. There’s somebody in that pile that can be a council member.”
After two hours of haggling, Tolces agreed they were at an impasse and Brechnitz moved to the remainder of the agenda. During public comment, resident Lynn Nathanson offered to pay the $55,000 to hold a special election and recoup it with a GoFundMe campaign.
“The council seems to be at an impasse and it is the function of the council members to represent the interests of Marco Island,” Nathanson said. “Because the council may be unable to reach consensus in filling the seat, the decision should be given back to the voters … Because we feel so strongly about the Marco we love, if we do not reach the (GoFundMe) amount, it will be on us.” In the end, councilors agreed to select a seventh councilor.
Pathways Early Learning Center students scored above county and state numbers on kindergarten readiness this past year. Photo courtesy Pathways Early Learning Center
A Michigan school study that followed children from their years in an early learning program to age 40 found them 25% more likely to graduate high school. Photo by Brian Tietz
REAL ESTATE
HOUSING
Carter’s legacy includes local Habitat success story
By Melanie Pefinis
When we think of real estate in Southwest Florida, lots of images come to mind: Beachside mansions, gated golf communities and colorful Old Florida cottages. But as the nation mourns the Dec. 29 passing of its 39th president, Jimmy Carter, another image of homeownership is front of mind.
Collier County was the first affiliate to join Habitat for Humanity. Habitat was founded in 1976 by Georgians Millard and Linda Fuller, who were friends of the Carters. While these homes might not be the first thing you visualize when you imagine a Florida neighborhood, Collier County was the first to sign a charter with Habitat for Humanity two years after its founding, making it the oldest affiliate of this worldwide housing nonprofit.
Lee and Hendry counties now also have a thriving Habitat for Humanity organization, but Collier will forever hold the title of the first to officially join the group. Since that time, in 1978, Collier County alone has helped more than 2,600 families, including 6,000 children, fulfill their dream of having a home.
While the Carters likely never visited Collier County, they were known for joining swarms of volunteers nationwide to rehab entire neighborhoods.
Habitat for Humanity of Collier County
CEO Rev. Lisa Lefkow said of the Carters, “They recognized this flagship affiliate in significant ways. They lived out their values through tireless service, humility and a deep commitment to uplifting those in need.”
Within the county, Habitat Collier is one of only five affiliates among the 1,200 in the U.S. to build more than 50 homes per year. Vertical construction is currently active in two subdivisions, Kaicasa and Majestic Place. Two other subdivisions were completed in 2024, Whitaker Woods and Songbird at Whippoorwill.
“At Habitat Collier, we have been deeply influenced by President Carter’s vision and values,” said Lefkow. “His belief in the power of community, the dignity of every individual and the transformative potential of ‘home’ continues to guide our work each day.” Civic groups, company initiatives and religious organizations often gather to volunteer en masse to work on a Habitat neighborhood. The non-profit vows that 95 cents out of every dollar donated is used to directly build homes and serve families. The Naples Area Board of Realtors provides workers through its Community Involvement Initiative, allowing those
Week of Dec. 9-13
SALES
Sure Do Realty LLC purchased 2.27 acres of vacant land at 5651 Shirley St. in North Naples from Shirley Street LLC for $3 million. Christine McManus, CCIM, SIOR, of Investment Properties Corp. represented the buyer, and Zachary Tillery of Lee & Associates represented the seller.
LEASES
Calvary Chapel Church Naples Inc. leased 11,134 square feet of office space in Collier Park of Commerce, 3050 Horseshoe Drive N., Unit 198, in Naples from Helios Colliers LLC. Dave Wallace, CCIM, SIOR, and David Wallace of CRE Consultants represented the lessor, and Eric Strom of Trinity Commercial Group represented the lessee.
who usually sell homes to bring homeownership to families from a different angle. These neighborhoods added more than $16,000 to the local tax base last year and added more than $1,886,000 to property tax totals.
Reflecting on Carter’s passing, Lefkow said, “Jimmy Carter’s impact on Habitat for Humanity is immeasurable. His contributions are so significant that many mistakenly believe he was the organization’s founder,” rather than the Fullers.
“For our affiliate — the largest-producing in the United States — the Carters’ influence has shaped our work and inspired us to carry forward their vision. We remain dedicated to making housing a matter of conscience for all as we build homes and strengthen communities … It is visible in communities in the area.”
According to Jessica Grybek, press and media representative for Habitat Collier, in fiscal year 2024, 24 families inquired about homeownership for every one home that Habitat Collier was able to build. With the county experiencing housing costs 40% higher than the national average, buying a house is an impossibility for many people.
To qualify as a partner family, prospective owners undergo an exhaustive application process. Their legal status is verified, employment history is reviewed and both a criminal and a credit background check are conducted. Then they must complete 500 hours of sweat equity prior to purchasing their home. After a down payment of $1,000, they must pay their first year’s insurance in full and two
Yarnell & Peterson P.A. leased 4,136 square feet of office space at 3431 Pine Ridge Road, Suite 101, in North Naples from KAB Real Property Holdings LLC. Adam Palmer, CCIM, SIOR, of LQ Commercial represented the lessor and lessee.
KT Gulf Shore LLC leased a 3,600-square-foot space in Charleston Square, 1400 Gulf Shore Blvd., suites 160, 166 and 172, in Naples from Charleston Square of Naples LLC. Biagio Bernardo and Bill Young of Lee & Associates Naples-Fort Myers represented the lessor and lessee.
Starbucks Corp. leased the 2,100-squarefoot Suite 1; Solar Nails Spa Naples LLC
leased the 1,746-square-foot Suite 5; and Cains 753 LLC leased the 1,746-squarefoot Suite 4 in Cameron Commons at 8855
months escrow. Habitat then sells the home to the family with an affordable, no-interest mortgage.
Grybek added proudly that more than 750 Collier families have paid off their mortgages and own their homes free and clear. They boast a foreclosure rate of less than 1%. These families earn an average yearly income of just over $46,000.
Habitat for Humanity of Lee and Hendry Counties, Inc. has also helped over 1,850 families since its affiliate opened in 1982. Lee County has eight thriving Habitat Neighborhoods according to Noelani Fender, media relations representative. Majorca Palms covers 25 acres within the Fort Myers city limits. There also is Journey Together in Fort Myers, which is currently under construction, as is McNeill Village in North Fort Myers. White Coral Estates is in the developmental stage.
Bonita Springs within Lee County will soon see Carolina Cove, currently under construction. It will join neighborhoods Partnership Place and Red Hibiscus. Lee also has communities in the vicinity of Harlem Heights, Fine Mark Village and Heritage Heights, while Cape Coral will soon see Diplomat South, which is in development.
“As we honor President Carter’s extraordinary legacy,” Lefkow said, “we are reminded that his work was never about one person, but about what is possible when we come together. His enduring message — that everyone deserves a decent place to live — will forever be at the heart of our mission.”
Immokalee Road in Golden Gate Estates from Cameron Partners LLC. Bill Young and Biagio Bernardo of Lee & Associates Naples-Fort Myers represented the lessor.
Retina Florida MSO leased 1,760 square feet of office space at 3467 Pine Ridge Road in North Naples from Hendry Street LLC. Adam Palmer, CCIM, SIOR, of LQ Commercial represented the lessor and lessee.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe leased 1,300 square feet of retail space in Shoppes at Orange Blossom at Oil Well Road and Hawthorn Road in Orangetree from The Shoppes at Orange Blossom LLC. Bob Pekol of LQ Commercial represented the lessor. Week of Nov. 25-29
SALES
PZS Investments LLC purchased 0.28
With each issue of The Naples Press that includes a real estate page, we will ask a Realtor a question about issues of the day. For this edition, we spoke to Darlene Roddy of Gulf Coast International Properties.
Q: Where should buyers invest in the Naples market?
A: When buyers ask this question, I confidently recommend the Park Shore | Moorings | Seagate area, including beachfront condos and homes. These neighborhoods continue to be a solid and consistent investment from a real estate perspective.
The affluent luxury lifestyle buyer and investor will generally trend toward areas that will be a good return on investment and exceptional living experience. So, when I’m representing a buyer, I will consistently lean into the Park Shore | Moorings | Seagate neighborhood.
The significant appreciation in property values reflects the continued desirability and resilience of these neighborhoods. Whether buyers are looking for navigable waterfront properties, non-navigable homes, or luxury condos, this market remains a strong investment opportunity. The Park Shore area in Naples, has consistently demonstrated a strong market performance, and 2025 is shaping up to continue the trend. Expect a growing focus on eco-friendly features and hurricane resilient designs in new builds and renovations. The Park Shore | Moorings | Seagate area continues to benefit from its central location, pristine beaches and luxury lifestyle offerings, ensuring it remains one of Naples' coveted neighborhoods.
Roddy, a native of Wisconsin who began her involvement in Collier County real estate in 2000, can be reached at 239.404.0685. ASK A REALTOR
acres of vacant land at 2180 Kirkwood Ave. in Naples from 2190-80 Kirkwood Ave LLC for $810,000. Rob Carroll, CCIM, MAI, of Investment Properties Corp. represented the buyer and seller.
LEASES Magnolia Pool & Spa LLC leased a 3,650-square-foot space at 6088 Taylor Road, Suite 100, in North Naples from 6088 Taylor Road LLC. Thomas Webb, CCIM, MSRE, of Lee & Associates Naples-Fort Myers represented the lessor. SOV LLC leased a 1,428-square-foot space in Mission Square Condominiums, 1575 Pine Ridge Road, Unit 5, in North Naples from KLCRT LLC. Biagio Bernardo and Bill Young of Lee & Associates Naples-Fort Myers represented the lessor.
Collier County was the first affiliate to join Habitat for Humanity, which was founded in 1976. Since then, Lee and Hendry counties also have sprouted a thriving Habitat organization. Collier County has helped more than 2,600 families fulfill their dream of homeownership. Photo courtesy Habitat for Humanity
Darlene Roddy
Jimmy Carter
period for 70-unit George Washington Carver Apartments expires in 2037, and 72-unit Jasmine Cay Apartments expires in 2044.
It’s the second time the city considered purchasing the complex. In 2020, the CRA authorized city staff to approach the then-owner, had the property appraised and discussed a possible purchase.
The two- and three-bedroom apartments range from 776 to 876 square feet, with rents at $1,650$1,800. The current 28 units per acre creates a nonconforming use and due to the Federal Emergency Management Agency 50% rule, building improvements greater than 50% of value or property redevelopment require a developer to conform to current regulations, which limit redevelopment to 40 units.
Corridor Ventures is willing to work with the city, whether it’s selling the property, managing it under a public-private partnership or helping find a developer to rebuild it with better resiliency against hurricanes. It has suggested Connecticut-based Honeycomb Real Estate Partners, which develops affordable housing.
Hagen Brown, of Corridor Ventures, said the company want to sell because it wants the “best outcome” for its investors. He noted the two-story apartments were severely damaged by two hurricanes and half the apartments, the first floor, were taken off the market, but have been renovated and should be fully occupied by spring. The same occurred with Jade Apartments.
“We love the city of Naples,” Brown said. “We’ve been involved in
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Naples for over eight years with our other project, but because we’re an investment company, every investment we make does have a timeline associated with it.”
CBRE’s team, which includes Trinity Commercial Group in Estero, recommended that Naples secure long-term ownership and control, to restrict rents to 80% to 100% of area median income and to limit the CRA’s out-of-pocket investment to $3 million. It estimates the property’s value is $20-22 million, but it could sell for $25 million.
The CRA could finance a purchase through a $20 million bond over 20 years, with $3.75 million in equity for reserve, finished repairs/rehabs and
transaction costs, with a $750,000 developer contribution toward that, as well $3 million from the CRA.
Dan O’Berski, of Trinity Commercial Group, said that assuming a 5% vacancy, the complex would generate $2 million in yearly revenues, with about $840,000 in operating expenses. He said the city’s competition would be a developer considering a gated community of 18 to 25 lots.
“You could potentially get to a $20 million valuation on an underwrite for a home builder simply to purchase this, build spectacular homes (and) sell homes for $3-5 million on the water in Naples,” O’Berski said. He presented several scenarios,
including a ground lease with the developer, which would seek a 9% Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and rezoning and other approvals.
River Park resident James Whittaker commended the CRA for considering a purchase, noting the area needs affordable workforce housing.
A full-time worker earning $17.53 hourly, the county’s median wage, can only afford $912 rent per month with utilities if the recommended maximum 30% of income is used for rent.
“This will give people who work for and in the city some place that they can afford to live,” Whittaker said.
“I’m afraid if the other organizations come in and try to purchase that, the
price range for working-class people, it’s not going to be there. They’re going to look at raising the rent price to go along with everything else that’s in Naples. People will not be able to afford that.”
Whittaker, who also is president of the River Park Association, told the CRA the community feels the same way.
River Park resident Judy Freiberg expressed concern over the city only considering the least expensive option and pointed out if rents were 80% to 100% AMI, a resident would have to make around $80,000 to $100,000 to qualify to live there.
“What it means is you’re talking about affordable housing for high-income working class people and not affordable housing for the people who paint your houses and work on your lawns and other working class people,” Freiberg said. “They’re shut out of this market.”
She suggested 60% AMI, with the CRA contributing to reduce the rents, adding, “What I love is the idea of the city owning this land and putting restrictions on the ability of gentrifying this area, which will completely ruin River Park East.”
Vice Mayor Terry Hutchison said he supported the city purchasing Stillwater Cove at fair market value, but if it were to partner with Corridor and Honeycomb Real Estate Partners, he’d want infrastructure improvements, including upgrades to the seawall and increased elevation, to help shield it from future hurricanes.
“These opportunities don’t come around very often,” Hutchison said. “Now is the time to consider all of these [options] and see if we can really make a difference in the River Park East community.”
Naples is considering buying Stillwater Cove apartments in River Park East to prevent an outside developer from removing it from the city’s affordable-housing inventory. Photo by Ed Scott
Coconut Point mall adds two major restaurants
By Tim Aten tim.aten@naplespress.com
Two popular regional dining concepts launched new locations last month at Coconut Point. Real Seafood Co. and PJK Neighborhood Chinese Restaurant independently opened upscale casual dining destinations in large, second-generation restaurant spaces at the regional outdoor mall in Estero.
Real Seafood Co.
Real Seafood launched Dec. 11 in the former large space of Bokamper’s Sports Bar & Grill in Coconut Point after shuttering its original regional location in May. It had operated 20 years in North Naples.
“This is a much larger space. We have a huge outdoor bar that seats about 20 people with huge patio seating facing the water there,” said Real Seafood general manager Olivier Morame, who added that the dining room’s modern decor is striking. “It’s a beautiful, renovated place. It’s really nice.”
A week after Real Seafood’s launch, Morame was pleased with the initial perception and reception of the new restaurant.
“It’s been very positive,” he said. “A lot of guests were familiar with us from the Naples location and thrilled and relieved that we finally opened and that they can come in and enjoy some of their favorites that they enjoyed at the Naples location. And, also, a lot of people who live in the area here in Estero, they are very, very happy to have a very good seafood option here — so it’s been overly positive for every guest that has come in so far.”
However, while Real Seafood retained popular items such as the Miso Glazed Chilean Sea Bass, the menu at Coconut Point offers some new choices.
“We have changed the menu drastically,” Morame said. “The menu is bigger with a lot more options. There will be something for everyone.”
A new grouper dish has been extremely popular, he said: The Gulf black grouper is served with chile crisp butter and crab fried rice. Other seafood entrees include fresh local mahi mahi, yellowfin tuna, blackened Atlantic sword-
fish and whole snapper.
Signature menu items include shrimp and scallop risotto, parmesan-crusted flounder, jumbo lump crab cakes, paella Valenciana, jambalaya, Cajun shrimp po’boy, adobo fish tacos, lobster roll, roasted half chicken and filet mignon.
The Neptune Tower appetizer prepared by the new chef features lobster, king crab legs, shrimp cocktail, raw oysters, tuna tartare and smoked fish dip, Morame said: “That’s a beautiful, beautiful preparation for a seafood tower.”
Because of the 13-mile distance from the North Naples location, only about 15 employees, or about 10% of the staff, opted to follow the restaurant north. Because it’s a much larger venue that Morame thinks will be much busier, he had
to hire many more people, he said.
Real Seafood, 8001 Plaza Del Lago Drive, is open for dinner only 4-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 4-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 4-9 p.m. Sunday.
“We have an amazing happy hour at the bar from 4 to 6 (p.m.),” Morame said. “The outdoor bar, I think, is really going to be something special.”
PJK Neighborhood Chinese
Naples-based Paul Fleming Restaurants expanded its PJK Neighborhood Chinese brand with the Dec. 19 launch of its second location, following the elevated modern dining concept’s debut in early 2023 in downtown Naples. Its new location in Coconut
Point features more than 6,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor seating with an open kitchen in the transformed space of the former Blue Water Bistro and The Saloon next to Ruth’s Chris Steak House. The spacious new PJK location punctuates stylish design with colorful surprise elements — such as a flowering cherry tree centerpiece — to create an inviting dining experience.
“We are thrilled to mark an exciting new chapter for the growing PJK brand,” said Jody Goodenough-Fleming, founder of PJK Neighborhood Chinese. “This second location is a reflection of my personal passion, brought to life through every menu item and design choice. PJK is driven by our team’s hard work and the community’s love for exceptional dining. What started as a single restaurant location has grown into a thriving brand, and I am excited to see PJK become a key part of the Paul Fleming Restaurant Group.” The fresh launch adds a lunch menu to PJK’s Chinese-inspired favorites and coastal flavors such as classic wok specialties, small plates and hand-crafted dumplings and dim sum. Exclusive signature dishes include Peking duck, Szechuan sea bass, teriyaki steak on a stick, braised short rib and dirty fried rice with duck confit, kimchi and poached egg.
The cuisine is complemented by a curated collection of wines personally selected by longtime restaurateur Paul Fleming, as well as sakes and a variety of specialty drinks. Creative cocktails include Call Me Koko with Rivi Gin, Del Maguey Vida Mezcal, pomegranate and lemon; Shiso Lovely with Wheatley Vodka, St-Germain elderflower liqueur, shiso leaves, lemon and lemon drop; and Mai Oh Mai Thai with a clarified Mai Tai, passion fruit and cherry chinola foam, Smith & Cross Rum, Angostura White Oak Rum, lime juice and dry curacao. PJK’s social hours are 4-6 p.m. daily with special food and drink prices. PJK Coconut Point, 23151 Village Shops Way, Suite 109, is open for lunch and dinner 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Takeout also is available at PJK — an acronym from the first initials of Paul and Jody Fleming and Kolton, their Bernese Mountain Dog.
Photo by Tim Aten
Photo by Tim Aten
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OUT & ABOUT
The Naples New Year’s Art Fair, presented by the Naples Art Institute, was held Jan. 4-5 at Cambier Park in Naples. The event featured more than 200 local and national artists.
Photography by Liz Gorman
Sculptures by Michael Gard hang high above the festival.
Jenny Martin, of Martin Pottery, holds one of her pieces.
Jacqueline Gaulin attends the art fair with her dog, Oliver.
Sculpture by Kimberly Willcox
Sculptures by Lorena Ricaurte draw the attention of fair goers.
Art fair attendees observe paintings by Elizabeth Williams.
Artist Kimberly Willcox in front of her sculptures, joined by her granddaughter Ellie
Works by Bill Lepak
Art fair attendees walk by a sculpture by James LaCasse. Debbie Fox and her dog Gigi attend the art fair.
If there is just one word that sums up the all-new Park Place on Gulf Shore, it’s “beyond.” Beyond belief. Beyond words. Beyond anything you could possibly imagine in an enclave of luxurious condominiums. Just 15 exclusive residences will comprise this extraordinary community complete with beach and bay views in a coveted Moorings location. Live a life that’s beyond compare at Park Place on Gulf Shore from the developers of The Bristol in West Palm Beach and the Tribune Tower in Chicago. Pre-construction pricing from mid $7Ms.
From page 1A
ATEN KNOWS
retail chain filed paperwork with the Collier County Growth Management Department requesting a waiver of Collier County’s Land Development Code requirement that commercial lots with automobile service stations be separated by 500 feet.
Costco’s proposed lot with a fueling station is only 132 feet from the new 7-Eleven convenience store with gas pumps on the northeast corner of Rattlesnake Hammock Road and Collier Boulevard. The county notes that the measurement is the shortest distance between the nearest points of any two lots occupied by an automobile service station or for which a building permit has been issued.
The waiver request would be decided after a public hearing held by the Collier County Hearing Examiner, a quasi-judicial officer who reports directly to the Board of County Commissioners.
The Hearing Examiner’s Office was established in 2013 to augment the county’s Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals for hearing, evaluating and deciding specific land use and development proposals. The applicant or any county department may appeal the final decision of the Hearing Examiner to the Board of County Commissioners.
The Hearing Examiner may grant a waiver if the applicant can show that the site proposed for development of a service station
is separated from another service station by natural or man-made structures or other features that minimize the necessity for the distance requirement, the county reports.
The proposed member-based Costco gas station and the conventional 7-Eleven gas station are separated by the four-lane Rattlesnake Hammock Road, Costco notes in its waiver request.
Both 7-Eleven and the proposed Costco are part of the Hacienda Lakes mixed-use planned unit development. Collier commissioners approved the commercial development there more than 13 years ago.
Hacienda Lakes MPUD was created in October 2011 when more than 2,260 acres of mostly agricultural land was rezoned by a supermajority vote of the county commission.
The project was permitted to include 1,760 homes, 327,000 square feet of retail space, 70,000 square feet of professional and medical office space, 135 hotel rooms, 140,000 gross square feet of business park or educational facility and a school. Hacienda Lakes of Naples conveyed a tract of land to the Collier County Public Schools for a future elementary school.
Specific businesses or types of businesses have not been proposed yet for the 4 acres of commercial lots planned on the Hacienda Lakes corner between Costco and Collier Boulevard.
The “Tim Aten Knows” weekly column answers local questions from readers. Email Tim at tim.aten@naplespress.com.
Timothy D. Hogan, D.M.D., T.J. Tejera, D.M.D., M.D., Bernardo F. Brasileiro, D.D.S., M.S.D., PhD, William M. Summey, D.D.S., Harvey S. Satz,
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WILLIAM M.
SUMMEY, DDS
• Board Eligible Candidate, American Board of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons
Member, American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
Member, American College of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
• Past Vice-President & Treasurer, Miles for Smiles at
Costco Wholesale Corp. recently filed site development plans with Collier County Growth Management for a new 158,316-square-foot store with a freestanding fueling station. Renderings by Ware Malcomb
The new Costco is proposed on wooded acreage on the southeast corner of Rattlesnake Hammock Road and Collier Boulevard, immediately north of Physician Regional Medical Center-Collier Boulevard.
from Collier County Property Appraiser's Office
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Occupancy Early 2026 The best time to select one of these incomparable homes for yourself is now. 2355 Vanderbilt Beach Road Suite 106, Naples, Florida 34109 Phone 239-249-6260 The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Naples Pricing from $5.2 million. RCRNaples.com
A rts & LEISURE
Ongoing events
‘Last of the Red Hot Lovers’ 7:30 p.m. WednesdaysSaturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through Jan. 26 at Arts Center Theatre, Marco Town Center, 1089 N. Collier Blvd., Marco Island. Neil Simon’s witty comedy about a middle-aged man who wants to chuck being married, overworked and overweight to join the sexual revolution. He quickly learns revolutions are full of explosives. $40. marcoislandart.org or 239.784.1186
‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ Various times WednesdaysSaturdays through Feb. 16 at Kizzie Theatre at the Sugden, 701 Fifth Ave. S., Naples. The Cornley University Drama Society’s newest production starts to go wrong before the curtain even opens — and goes on a fast ride downhill from there, with falling sets, botched lines, a corpse that keeps resurrecting and more. $50-$55. naplesplayers.org or 239.263.7990
‘Dial M for Murder’
Various times TuesdaysSundays through Feb. 6 at Gulfshore Playhouse, 100 Goodlette-Frank Road S., Naples. Frederick Knotts’ edge-of-seat thriller, known in the U.S. from the tense Alfred Hitchcock film, was originally a play, and it returns, even more gripping live, with a few surprises. $39$119. gulfshoreplayhouse.org or 239.261.7529
Tuesdays and Thursdays; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sundays Jan. 18 through April 13 at Naples Art Institute, 795 Park Ave., Naples. “Art in Balance: Matisse and His Illustrated Works” features a selection of over 140 works that reveal Henri Matisse’s genius as a printmaker and his unique approach to composition, color, and form. Spanning from the late 1930s through his final years. $15, $10 members. naplesart.org or 239.262.6517
‘Transparency’ at Art Center
9 a.m.-4 p.m. MondaysFridays through Feb. 25 at Marco Island Center for the Arts, 1010 Winterberry Drive, Marco Island. “Transparency” delves into the visual and conceptual effect of light passing through materials, transforming how we perceive color, form and texture. The show features works by six artists, and Art David’s “From the Street” photography is in La Petite Galerie through Jan. 28. Free. marcoislandart.org or 239.394.4221
Paul Arsenault retrospective 9 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays through Feb. 15 at Marco Island Historical Museum, 180 S. Heathwood Drive, Marco Island. Perhaps no one has seen as much of Collier County as artist Paul Arsenault, whose exhibition there, “Reflections of South Florida: A 50-Year Art Adventure,” chronicles its memorable places and people. Free. themihs.info/ museum/ or 239.389.6447
Art mascots at Revs 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at the Revs Institute, 2500 Horseshoe
CALENDAR
BOWLS OF BLESSINGS
10:30 a.m. entry, event 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 18, at Cambier Park, 775 Eighth Ave. S., Naples. Empty Bowls Naples, the annual fundraiser to help hunger concerns in Collier County, returns with piping hot soups donated by local restaurants, clubs and institutions. There’s locally made bread to go with them, and colorful side attractions such as the Bowl-tique sale of area artists’ kitchenware ceramics and a silent auction. Along with the entertainment, area pottery artists are set up with their wheels so you can watch them at work. All proceeds go to hunger concerns organizations in Collier County and one in Hendry County.
Drive S., Naples. “Roaring Twenties, Rolling Art: French Automotive Mascots,” exclusive French car mascots (often called hood ornaments in the U.S.) from the Jon Zoler collection that are artist-designed small sculptures created for customers including Hermès. $20, $15 for military, students, educators; ($10 more for docent-guided tours). Advance tickets required for entry. revsinstitute.org or 239.687.7387
Shroud of Turin sculpture
On exhibition indefinitely at Canizaro Exhibit Library, Ave Maria Library, 5050 Ave Maria Blvd., and The Ark Chapel, Ave Maria. A commissioned 14-foot sculpture. Free. 239.280.2500
At Baker Museum
10 a.m.-4 p.m. TuesdaysSaturdays, noon-4 p.m. Sundays at The Baker Museum, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. Through June 15, “Obra Sonora,” an exhibition of works by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer. To Feb. 2, “Alex Katz, Theater and Dance,” artist’s collaboration with staging; and “As We Rise: Photographs from the Black Atlantic.” $10; student or military (with I.D.), $5; SNAP benefits (with EBT card), $1; ages to 17 or younger, free. artisnaples. org or 239.597.1900
This weekend (Jan. 17, 18, 19)
Happy 100th, Jazz Greats
10 a.m. Jan. 17 at the Rowe Center behind The Baker Museum, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. Charles Bergeron, Ph.D., professor of jazz history and program director for jazz pedagogy at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music,
239.597.1900
Art Fest Naples
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Jan. 18 and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Jan. 19 at Fleischmann Park, 1600 Fleischmann Blvd., Naples. Some 120 artists display at the 28th annual Art Fest Naples Invitational, a juried show that offers paintings; drawings; art photography; blown glass; turned wood pieces; sculptures; metal works; printmaking; leather; ceramics and pottery; fiber art; wearable fiber art; hand-crafted fine art jewelry; and mixed media pieces. A $5 entry donation benefits this year’s charity: the St. Vincent de Paul Society operation of Meals on Wheels, which delivers nearly 50,000 meals annually to our homebound, infirm or nutritionally deficient seniors and disabled neighbors. artfestnaples.com
Critic’s Choice: ‘Long Island’ 10 a.m. Jan. 18 at Hayes Hall, Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. Elaine Newton, professor emeritus of humanities at York University, Toronto, and resident critic for Artis—Naples, discusses the Com Tólbin novel Long Island. $46. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900
2 p.m. Jan. 18 at U. Tobe Recital Hall, FGCU, 10501 FGCU Blvd, Fort Myers. The finalists perform and the winners of the first competition are announced at this inaugural Southwest Florida competition organized jointly by the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation and Opera Naples. The prizes are roles in operas around the U.S. $35. operanaples.org or 239.963.9050
Voyces Concert
7 p.m. Jan. 18 at Norris Community Center, 755 Eighth Ave. S., Naples. Vocal group Voyces offer an array of international harmonies in "Around the World in 90 Minutes."$35 at Evenbrite.com
Redoubtable Russians
3 p.m. Jan. 19 in the Daniels Pavilion, Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. Members of Naples Philharmonic perform Taneyev’s String Trio in E-flat Major ; Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 2 . Part of the Wang Chamber Music Series. $51. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900
explores the lives of jazz greats born 100 years ago this year, from Mel “the Velvet Fog” Tormé, Zoot Sims, Art Pepper and eight-time Grammy Award winner Oscar Peterson to the living legend Roy Haynes — one of the most frequently recorded drummers in jazz. $42. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900
Alex Katz and Paul Taylor
1 p.m. Jan. 17 in the Ubben Signature Event Space, Artis— Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. Michael Novak, artistic director, Paul Taylor Dance Company, talks about Alex Katz, the set and stage designer and artist whose works are currently at The Baker Museum at Artis— Naples, and the 15 Paul Taylor productions referenced in that exhibition. $25. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900
‘Don Pasquale’ at Wang
7 p.m. Jan. 17 and 2 p.m. Jan. 19 at Wang Opera Center, 2409 Linwood Ave., Naples. The comic opera Don Pasquale takes us with the don as he learns the hilariously hard way that September bridegrooms should not be looking for May brides. It stars a cast from the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation Opera Naples Academy, which has worked with international opera stars in forming their roles. $39-$119. operanaples.org or 239.963.9050
Paul Taylor Dance Company
7:30 p.m. Jan. 17 at Artis— Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. The Paul Taylor Dance Company with the Naples Philharmonic in an evening of Paul Taylor classics with music that ranges from Elgar to Bach. $65-$110. artisnaples.org or
Rockabillaque Daylong, opening at 10 a.m. Jan. 18, outdoors at Seminole Casino Immokalee, 506 S. First St., Immokalee. Live music from a wide array of rockabilly bands, including the Surfragettes, Southern Culture on the Skids, Sasquatch and the Sick-abillies, Shanda and the Howlers, more. Free admission. rockabillaqueflorida.com or casinohardrock.com
Piano-violin interlude Noon-1 p.m. Jan. 18 in the sanctuary at Naples United Church of Christ, 5200 Crayton Road, Naples. From one of Schubert’s greatest works for violin and piano to Ukrainian and Spanish composers, pianist Diana
Brahms’ versatile sonatas
4 p. m. Jan. 19 at Trinity-bythe-Cove Episcopal Church, 553 Galleon Drive, Naples. Jane Mitchell, viola; Eri Anderson, clarinet; Alexandra Carlson, piano, perform two Brahms sonatas that were written in alternate versions for the clarinet and the viola. Freewill offering. trinitybythecove.com
Duo Arpeggione
4 p.m. Jan. 19 at Vanderbilt Presbyterian Church, 1225 Piper Blvd., Naples. Pianist Catherine Lan and cellist Claudio Jaffe, a longtime duo known as Duo Arpeggione, perform Saint-Saens,
See CALENDAR, Page 9B
HOT TICKET
TIME TRAVEL TO THE 'YMCA' 7:30 p.m. April 6 at Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. We apologize, because we know you’ll have this tune in your head all day now. The Village People, a cosplay band who gave disco some of its most exuberant moments, offers a sendoff to summer with a show of its Top 40 tunes such as “In the Navy,” “Macho Man” and the now-immortal hit, “YMCA.” You’re singing it already, aren’t you? $59-$79. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900
Volunteer-decorated dishes meet visitors to the Empty Bowls fundraiser Saturday at Cambier Park, and after their soup and bread lunch, ticketholders take their bowls home with them. Photo by Harriet Howard Heithaus
The Village People are doubtlessly not living at the “YMCA,” but that hit has immortalized the group, which is coming to Artis—Naples April 6. Photo courtesy Artis Naples
COVER STORY
Jay Leno loves cars, and he’s coming to the right city for them
By Harriet Howard Heithaus and Emma Witmer
If Jay Leno weren’t the brick-jawed, blue-eyed icon emeritus of late-night TV, he would still be the guy you most want to follow around the Naples Automotive Experience Feb. 6-8.
The former “Tonight Show” host is a car collector of fanatic zeal — anyone who has a Nash Metropolitan and a Lamborghini Miura in his garage has to be. He can talk about any model name that comes up. In fact, he likely has one in his 181-car collection.
A conversation with Leno is a double treat because his automotive savvy is peppered with the droll humor that was his hallmark for 20 years of late-night TV. And all of it is delivered with a next-door-neighbor affability; he is the guy you’re most likely to kibitz with over the backyard fence.
Leno is at the Naples Automotive Experience Feb. 6-8 for the two things he loves best: telling jokes and talking cars. He stars in a charity benefit Feb. 6 at Hertz Arena aligned with the weekend, which benefits St. Matthew’s House homeless shelter and rehabilitative programs. The next day he’s at an event titled Jay’s Ultimate Garage, a mouthwatering collection of road royalty, the types of which he has stabled in his own garage back in Los Angeles.
He still does around 150 comedy shows a year, but took a few minutes to talk via Zoom from his garage for both Gulfshore Life and The Naples Press on a range of car and comedy topics.
About what he’d drive in Naples and navigating Los Angeles in vintage cars
Probably something that’s fun to drive, but big and slow. That’s sort of what you do in a metropolitan area. Naples is a fairly flat metropolitan area, [so] maybe a vintage Cadillac … I have a 1909 Baker electric car, top speed 29 miles per hour, and I used to drive it home every week, getting into high-traffic areas deliberately because I couldn’t go fast enough. I’d get on the134 Freeway — it’s bumper to bumper — and I go one exit. If there was no traffic I would just get mowed down.
How he finds parts for nearly extinct autos
I have a 1914 Premier, which was a great big six-cylinder car made in Indianapolis. He [the previous owner] bought it in the 1970s and got a really good deal on it because the water pump was missing. He figured he could find one. He never found one. It’s just such a rare car.
So I bought it from him for what he paid for it in 1970, which had been 25 years ago I guess. But we had 3-D printing. We found a picture of a Premier water pump, scanned it and we were able to build one.
There’s nothing in a junk yard much before 2013, maybe, and even that’s too new, because stuff just gets crushed immediately, and because of environmental laws you have to make these old engines inoperable by punching a hole in the engine block — all kinds of things like that. 3-D printing can manufacture almost any part you need.
On how a collector views electric cars
It’s like rap and rock ‘n’ roll. But it’s still music. Some people like one and hate the other one. It was that way for a long time. I like electric cars. I think the electric car is the savior of the gasoline cars. If everybody drove old cars from the ’50s and ’60s like we [collectors] do, oh my gosh, there’d be so much pollution and it’d be awful.
The more electric cars you have, the more gasoline there is for the rest of us. So I don’t see it as necessarily a bad thing …
If you’re not an automobile fan, you’re driving an electric car because it’s inexpensive to run, once you get past the initial price. There’s almost zero maintenance. You don’t have to do anything, maybe change the brake fluid every three or four years — so I’m a big fan.
You know what Mark Twain said: “I like prog-
ress, it’s change I don’t like.”
I like to read the old car magazines. I have some from the turn of the century and this guy was talking, saying, “What are they going to do — replace all the blacksmith shops with gas stations?”
Well, yes! He was, like, stunned that that would ever happen.
My grandfather came over from Italy, and he always kept a newspaper clipping in his pocket where some senator was saying, “If Italians keep coming in at the rate they are, in 25 years we’ll be eating pizza for dinner!” Well, all right. Now we’re eating tacos for dinner. Fine! It’s progress but with change.
What new cars excite him and how autos are developing
We’ve got that new Mustang GTV coming, which they say will be competitive to the Porsche 911. I’ll be curious to see how that does. Yeah, there’s a lot of interesting stuff.
I think we’re living in the golden age of cars right now. I have a 1962 Maserati 3500 GTI and I was reading a road test from Road & Track and it said, “Why anyone needs a car with 220 horsepower is beyond me.” But hey, I’ll take it, because that was fast. It wasn’t that long ago that a [Bugatti] Veyron had 1,000 horsepower. I thought, that’s crazy! Now it’s commonplace. The Tesla has 1025 horsepower. Even the Dodge Demon — it’s a Hellcat variation — it’s 1,025. And all the new supercars are 1,200 horsepower and up. Now they have the braking and the handling to go with it — and the safety features. When I was in high school, some teen got killed every weekend. They’d have some kind of Pontiac [or] a soupedup Chrysler with antiquated brakes but a big 426 engine. You’d go around a corner and whole thing would yaw, tip over and boom, roll over.
It’s [auto manufacturing] come a long way. It’s the safest, fastest, least polluting. When I moved here to L.A. in the ’70s, there were 160 days [a year] when they told you not to go outside because of the pollution levels.
Now you have 10 times as many cars, and you still have pollution, but it’s a fraction of what it was in the ’60s. So I’m optimistic. I think engineers can save the world.
On collecting cars
I always tell people [this]: A lot of guys like to collect cars, but you’re better off collecting mechanics. For the price of one car, you could hire a guy in his 60s who did it his whole life — especially in Florida — who would love nothing better than three days a week just to do a little bit to make sure the car [is running well]. I hear so many stories of cars that burned down in garag-
Naples Automotive Experience-Plus, Feb. 6-8
Tickets to all events below can be purchased at naplesautomotiveexperience.org
Jay Leno Charity Comedy Night
When: Feb. 6, with 6 p.m. VIP meet-and-greet with food and beverages; 7 p.m.
entertainment with the Ben Allen Band; 8 p.m. Jay Leno show
Information: A lineup of rare and exclusive cars, jets, food and entertainment
Cars on Fifth
When: 10 a.m.-4 p. m. Feb. 8
Where: Fifth Avenue South and tributary streets, downtown Naples
Tickets: $40, $10 ages 4-15; $200 for the VIP Scuderia, a tented area within the baseball diamond at Cambier Park west, features a line-up of cars not elsewhere in the show, plus food and entertainment. Tickets limited.
Information: Cars on Fifth is the largest single event on Fifth Avenue annually, drawing thousands of visitors and more than 700 antique, rare, sports and contemporary innovative cars. There are food trucks in Cambier Park; advance reservations are recommended at restaurants in the Fifth Avenue area.
es or they get in and the brake pedal goes clear to the floor because they didn’t have the brakes tested.
For the price of one classic car, you could hire a mechanic for a couple of years, pay his health and welfare benefits and make your garage a much safer place.
On the universality of comedy
If you watch a Rudolph Valentino movie from the ’20s, it’s slow. It’s plodding. But if you watch Chaplin or Keaton from the same era, I think you’ll laugh just as hard as people did then, maybe even more because of the funny clothes and weird cars …
Whereas other forms of music change — “Oh, that sounds corny. Sounds like something from
the ’60s” — if you hear a Rodney Dangerfield [routine], it really is timeless. Rodney was one of my favorites. It’s the economy of words. One of my favorite jokes from him: “I’m walking down the street and I see a club that says, ‘Topless and bottomless.’ I went in. There was nobody there.”
It just makes me laugh. It’s so stupid; it’s just so silly … As a comedian, I don’t want to play an allmale audience, because it’s just the worst. They just want football or sports and it’s crude. The women keep them in line, and if the women enjoy the show, the guys enjoy the show more.
The more integrated society is, the more things are on the up and up.
Few love cars like comedian and former "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno. His collection numbers 181. Publicity photo
Area stages are full of drama, dithering actors and dopey lovers
By Harriet Howard Heithaus harriet.heithaus@naplespress.com
Live theater fans have a smorgasbord of a week ahead with no fewer than four plays opening:
• A cliffhanger adapted from the original stage play of “Dial M for Murder”
• A clown car full of actors who keep trying to put on “Murder at Haversham” Manor while the stage set sabotages them and their “corpse” refuses to die
• “Don Pasquale” and “Last of the Red Hot Lovers,” focusing on two men who feel they’re entitled to female consortium after they’ve passed their own sell-by dates, and who have no clue about what a boiling pot they’re jumping into.
The only question: Which one shall we see first?
Opera Naples: 'Don Pasquale'
There are only two chances to see Gaetano Donizetti’s comic opera, "Don Pasquale," and they’re both this weekend. Count on physical comedy, gorgeous music and a wry sense of humor in a story as easily found in Naples, Florida, as it was in mid-18th century Italy.
The Don is tired of waiting for his nephew Ernesto to marry, despite the fact his demands are unfair — he’ll only accept a woman of Ernesto’s own class, rather than Norina, the young man’s true love. The impatient Pasquale decides to take preserving the family lineage into his own hands.
His friend, Dr. Malatesta, sees the folly of it and plots with Ernesto to pass off Norina as Malatesta’s own pure-as-driven-snow, just-departed-the-convent sister. But the only time Pasquale will get close to her is when they sign what he thinks are matrimonial papers. Then the new Mrs. Pasquale becomes Wifezilla.
There are out-loud laughs for the audience, but it’s an opera with a long list of challenges. Check off that list: communication. Maria Zouves, who is directing, is a veteran of international opera productions. She knows how to work with this cast from the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation Opera Naples Academy, with some singers for whom English is a second language.
A little tougher on the list: stamina. Because they have enough academy members, the opera is double-cast, and that wealth of talent means double the rehearsals for all the creatives in the background.
The toughest part? “I think the biggest challenge with this particular piece is that it’s a comedy,” Zouves said. “Comedy is so much harder to do. It is a style of music where there’s a lot of repetition but a lot of different voices and different comedic things going on at once.
“And unlike a comedic play, there isn’t one voice in each moment. The voices are all happening,” she added. Don Pasquale and Ernesto, then Pasquale and Malatesta — everyone is vocalizing their thoughts in rapid-patter music. (English speakers needn’t worry; there are su-
pertitles.)
Donizetti works have another cast member to accommodate: the orchestra.
“The orchestra is another character. The orchestra sets the mood. Many times this ‘character’ comments on what the singers are singing,” added Opera Naples Artistic Director Ramón Tebar. “There are so many colors that are supporting, sometimes even contradicting. Donizetti has this crispiness that makes this opera especially exciting.”
The Academy’s students have been working solely on "Don Pasquale" for the last two weeks, building up their stamina, focusing their concentration on staying in character.
“That’s the purpose of this academy — to give them not only the opportunity to sing it from top to bottom, but also with an orchestra,” Tebar said. It’s one thing, he explained, to sing it with a piano, which may be following their lead, and quite another to sing with an orchestra, which is setting its own tempo.
“They’ve got to be looking at the audience and looking at the conductor,” he said.
Several of these academy students have another big date this weekend: They are singing in the inaugural joint Luciano Pavarotti Foun-
dation Opera Naples vocal competition Saturday at FGCU. Four winners will take away a guarantee of at least $10,000 in contracts.
When: 7 p.m. Jan. 17 and 2 p.m. Jan. 19 for Don Pasquale; 2 p.m. Jan. 18 for the competition
Where: Wang Opera Center, 2409 Linwood Ave., Naples, for Don Pasquale; U. Tobe Recital Hall, FGCU, 10501 FGCU Blvd., Fort Myers, for competition finals
Tickets: $39-$119 for "Don Pasquale"; $35 for the competition finals. operanaples.org or 239.963.9050
Naples Players:
'The Play That Goes Wrong'
Looking artless is an art. As with their operatic counterpoints at Opera Naples, The Naples Players are working double-time to make all the pratfalls and stunts in "The Play That Goes Wrong" look natural.
In this case, that is building contraptions — some 23 of them, by set builder/actor Mike Santos’ count — that can fall, explode, flip and grab on command. One example: its carefully crafted grandfather clock.
“We had to make it big enough for people
to fit inside but light enough that people could move it around,” Santos explained.
There are swordfights, a wrestling match between its two women and a corpse that simply can’t stay dead; even the technical director ends up playing a role after one actor is knocked unconscious. Bryce Alexander, CEO and artistic director for The Naples Players, is directing the show, and he echoed Tebar’s observation about the extension of characters beyond the humans onstage.
“The set and the props are characters themselves for this particular show. There is not a point in the two-hour performance where every motion that you have with a set or a prop isn’t carefully choreographed,” he said. “And yet, it needs to feel like it’s all fresh and never happened before.
“It’s a real technical challenge for the actors, because they can’t be living in their heads the whole time thinking about the prop. They have to be living and acting the story.”
Further, he said, the actors in this show must be ready with Plan B: What if those floorboards don’t flip up in your face? What if the chande-
Burak Bilgili talks with Victoria Ratto during Opera Naples' rehearsal of "Don Pasquale." Opera Naples will present "Don Pasquale" on Jan. 17 and Jan. 19 at Wang Operat Center in Naples. Photo by Liz Gorman
lier doesn’t fall?
Even further, all those actors are playing double roles: They’re a theater troupe, with its own quirky personalities and shortcomings, trying to put on a play. Each actor has to be a character in the theater troupe, as well as a character in the troupe’s disaster-prone production.
Tina Moroni, who plays the drama queen Florence Colleymoore within the play and the diva Sandra Wilkinson as its troupe member, is a former ballerina. It’s an asset in her role: “You must be in the exact spot in the exact second,” she emphasized. By at least one account, they’re succeeding. When two of the women in the cast, on cue, started slugging it out and shouting at each other, Theo, the Naples Players’ informal therapy dog, ran out on stage to see if he could console anyone.
When: Various times Wednesdays-Saturdays through Feb. 16
Where: Kizzie Theatre at the Sugden, 701 Fifth Ave. S., Naples
Tickets: $50-$55 at naplesplayers.org or 239.263.7990
Arts Center Theatre:
'Last of the Red Hot Lovers' Cheryl Duggan woke up in the middle of the night thinking about copper Jell-O molds. A good play can do that to you.
Duggan is the director of Arts Center Theatre’s production of the Neil Simon comedy "Last of the Red Hot Lovers," which opened last weekend on Marco Island. It’s a play she’s wanted to direct for some 20 years, and she wasn’t going to leave one detail unattended.
When a pass-through window on the set looked bare, Duggan puzzled over it for days until the Jell-O mold inspiration came. Then she reached out to relatives in her native Minnesota, who were able to find a set and ship them to her two-day express, all on her dime.
“I spent a fortune having them sent to me. I don’t care how much it cost. I wanted it right,” she said.
While Duggan professes to love all Neil Simon plays, Red Hot Lovers is a personal favorite.
“This one is a little more sophisticated. Everyone needs a happy ending, but in this one it’s about the moral compass going true north,” she said. “And it has humor, but says things that make you think.”
The short-form plot sums up as a mid-life crisis that detonates on its owner. Barney Cashman, played by veteran Mitch Frank (“Bus Stop” and “Slow Food” with The Studio Players), who determines to inject some zest into his colorless life by joining the sexual revolution of the ’70s.
“The whole point of this thing from very beginning is not make the audience hate him,” Duggan said of Bar-
ney. Barney is a vulnerable nebbish who hasn’t learned how to manufacture his own excitement, and it’s clear to his conquests.
“It’s demanding of a cast that has the right kookiness, repressiveness and audaciousness in the three women he tries to cavort with,” Duggan added. And she feels she has the trifecta in hers:
• Elaine (Christi Sadiq), a Mafia babe with hair like a funeral spray and leopard couture
• Bobbi Michele (Dixie Huey), a now-generation chick in wavy patterns and mismatched colors who carries weed in her purse for occasions like this
• Jeanette Fisher (Betsy Greenblatt), the perpetually depressed wife of Barney’s best friend who looks as if she needs some excitement, too
“I costumed it for the ’70s. A lot of this is my personal stock,” said Duggan. And the Jell-O molds?
“Every time the arts center has something they need a dish for, I’ll be bringing Jell-O,” she warned.
When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through Jan. 26
Where: Arts Center Theatre, Marco Town Center, 1089 N. Collier Blvd., Marco Island Tickets: $40. marcoislandart.org or 239.784.1186
Barney Cashman (Mitch Frank) is not ready at all for his would-be tryst with weedtoting, hippydippy Bobbi Michele (Dixie Huey) in Arts Center Theatre’s "Last of the Red Hot Lovers." Photo courtesy Marco Island Center for the Arts
Gulfshore Playhouse: 'Dial M for Murder'
Most contemporary dramas have a time-stamp set by their use of phones. Those that require one reposing on the living room end table can’t be staged as newer than 1990. "Dial M for Murder," a thriller touched off by a late-night phone call, is onwe of those.
Plays can also be boxed in by their Hollywood treatments, and this one doubtlessly has readers who think of Grace Kelly, Ray Milland and Robert Cummings the moment they hear the title. Add to that Alfred Hitchcock, who directed the popular
“The set and the props are characters themselves for this particular show. There is not a point in the two-hour performance where every motion that you have with a set or a prop isn’t carefully choreographed.”
—Bryce Alexander, CEO and artistic director for The Naples Players, about "The Play that Goes Wrong"
film version.
What most theatergoers don’t know is that "Dial M" was born as a 1952 British stage play, and Jeffrey Hatcher has taken it back to its roots, with some surprises stirred in. Among them is a change of career: The larcenous Tony Wendice is now a writer and his wife Margot’s lover is also a writer — a more successful one.
“So there’s a major professional jealousy,” explained Jackson Gay, who is directing her second Gulfshore Playhouse production, after last season’s Into the Breeches.
But in the end, it’s the money. Tony plans to help himself to Margot’s family fortune by killing her before she decides to leave him. When that backfires, he improvises an even icier plot.
This version is also done in a single set, which she likes: “This makes the tension really great because you are trapped in this house. You can’t really get out.”
It’s the kind of play Gay seeks out to direct, and not just for the production challenge.
“I love watching the audience try to figure it out. I love knowing that in two seconds they’re all going to all jump.
“This style is very popular right now with audiences,” she observed. “I think it’s because our country is so torn, so divided, and with the struggles of living and all that, that people just want to come into the theater and have fun, and laugh and jump in their seats, be literally thrilled.”
When: Various times, Tuesdays-Sundays through Feb. 6
Friends and family prepare to toast the late Charles Haversham (James Duggan), not quite dead on the couch, with his own liquor,
unaware the butler has inadvertently given them mineral spirits. From left, Brad Goetz (Cecil Haversham); Kit Fitzsimmons (Inspector Carter); Mike Santos (Thomas Colleymoore) and Tina Moroni (Florence Colleymoore). Photo by Harriet Howard Heithaus
COMICS & PUZZLES
By Emi Burdge
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Chopin and Faure. Freewill offering. vpcnaples.org
Next week (Jan. 20-23)
Country hitmakers play
6 and 8:30 p.m. Jan. 2021 in the Daniels Pavilion at Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. Nashville’s seasoned ambassadors of country music, having helped some of the genre’s biggest stars to chart-topping success, now bring their own expertise to the stage with a multimedia show. Hear their music and learn about their backstage adventures, studio sessions and tours with the Oak Ridge Boys, Keith Urban, Alabama, Trace Adkins, Wynonna, Pam Tillis and more. $65. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900
Field Atmosphonia
9:30 a.m. Jan. 21 in the Daniels Pavilion at Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. Part of the exhibition “Rafael LozanoHemmer: Obra Sonora,” this sound and light experience is guided by local Zen teacher Laurie Lyons. Participants will be invited to sit on cushions or chairs in a dimly lit space, surrounded by a field of light and soundscapes that include rhythms of wind, water, fire and ice, alongside an array of more than 200 insect species, 300 bird calls, resonant bells and more. The experience will be offered monthly through April. $20. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900
Talk: Chinese hardstone carvings
10:30 a.m. Jan. 21 in the Ubben Event Space behind The Baker Museum at Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. Jason Sun, Ph.D., curator of Chinese Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, offers an illustrated talk on one of the oldest arts in China, dating back to the prehistoric Majiabang culture in the fifth millennium BCE, and done in a full palette of stones in vibrant colors and with various properties: jade, agate, amber, coral, lapis lazuli, malachite, quartz and turquoise. $59. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900
'Southern Gothic Novel'
7 p.m. Jan. 21 at Norris Community Center, 755 Eighth Ave. S., Naples. Frank Blocker's one-man creation of a Southernfried town and all the hilarious misadventures that happen in it. $30 at eventbrite.com
Classical by nature
Norm Lewis’ Broadway
7:30 p.m. Jan. 21-25 and 2 p.m. Jan. 25 at Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. Norm Lewis has starred in iconic roles on Broadway, including Phantom in "The Phantom of the Opera" and Javert in "Les Misérables." He recreates some of his favorite moments from these musicals and more with the Naples Philharmonic, Principal Pops Conductor Jack Everly directing. $70-$111. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900
Sean Jones trumpet jazz 6 (SOLD OUT) and 8:30 p.m. Jan. 22. in the Daniels Pavilion at Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. Trumpet player
Sean Jones with the Naples Philharmonic Jazz Orchestra. Jones has served as the lead trumpeter for Wynton Marsalis’ Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, released acclaimed albums as a bandleader, spent two years as a member of the SFJAZZ Collective and shared stages with prominent jazz artists. $59. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900
Lee Greenwood: God Bless the USA Tour 8 p.m. Jan. 22 at Seminole Casino Immokalee, 506 S. First St., Immokalee. American country artist Lee Greenwood, known for the song “God Bless the USA,” is a former Grammy Award winner for Best Male Country Performance and CMA Song of the Year, with 32 charted singles, four gold albums and two platinum albums. Attendees must be 21+. $74. casino.hardrock.com
10 a.m. Jan. 23 in the Rowe Center behind The Baker Museum at Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. For more than 20 years, Terry Wolkowicz, president of the nonprofit organization Sound Explorations, has explored the intersection of classical music and the environment. Her presentation shows how composers’ artistry demonstrates similar patterns of distribution as those in the natural world, with examples from Beethoven, Mozart and more. $36. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900
Trio Bohém
3 p.m. Jan. 23 and 7:30 p.m. Jan. 24 in the Ubben Event Space at Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. Three distinctive trios: Haydn’s in C Major, Smetana’s in G Minor, Op. 15, and Brahms Piano Trio No. 1 in B Major. Part of the Grand Piano Series. $59. grandpianoseries.org
Patchouli/Terra Guitarra
5:30-7 p.m. Jan. 23 at Marco Island Center for the Arts, 1010 Winterberry Drive, Marco Island. Master guitarist Bruce Hecksel and singer-songwriter Julie Patchouli blend music from their two musical projects, Patchouli and Terra Guitarra, to perform classics including “Malagueña” and “The Sounds of Silence,” as well as their own compositions. $25-$30. marcoislandart.org
The Four C Notes 6 and 8:30 p.m. Jan. 23-24 in the Daniels Pavilion at Artis— Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. The Four C Notes bring
of Miami’s Frost School of Music, explores the evolution of the Fab Four from 1965 to 1970, when they produced albums such as "Rubber Soul," "Revolver," "Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band" and the "White Album." $36. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900
A Night at the Ryman
7 p.m. Jan. 24 at Norris Community Center, 755 Eighth Ave. S., Naples. The Nashville Impostors offer tributes to country legends like e Johnny Cash, George Jones, Merle, Buck and others. $30 at eventbrite.com
Naples Community Orchestra concert
their tenor and falsetto voices to Naples for a musical tribute to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. The group is dedicated to authenticity, recreating the signature sound and dance moves that made the original Newark group a sensation in the 1960s. $68. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900
Inazu on disagreement diplomacy
6:30-7:30 p.m. Jan 23 at Trinityby-the-Cove Episcopal Church, 553 Galleon Drive, Naples. John Inazu, Sally D. Danforth Distinguished Professor of Law and Religion at Washington University in St. Louis, will lead a discussion on “Learning to Disagree in Fractured Times.” Free registration at onrealm.org
Orchid growing help
6:30-8:30 p.m. Jan. 23 at the Naples Conference Center, 1455 Pine Ridge Road, Naples. Jim Longwell, veteran orchid grower and showman, will offer a presentation on “Orchid Growing Tips & Tricks” for the Gulf Coast Orchid Alliance January meeting. Open to the public. gulfcoastorchidalliance.org or 239.269.6389
Next weekend
(Jan. 24, 25, 26)
The Beatles Part II
10 a.m. Jan. 24 in the Ubben Event Space behind The Baker Museum at Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. Charles Bergeron, Ph.D., professor of jazz history and program director for jazz pedagogy at the University
3 p.m. Jan. 25 at Moorings Presbyterian Church, 791 Harbor Drive, Naples. Guest artist Aristo Sham performs Rachmaninoff's "Piano Concerto No. 2" with the orchestra, Music Director Alvin Ho conducting. Also on the program, the overture from Verdi’s "Nabucco" and Beethoven’s "Symphony No. 5" (“Fate Knocks at the Door”). $40. naplescommunityorchestra.org
Rogers, Richie and Robinson
7 p.m. Jan. 25 at Norris Community Center, 755 Eighth Ave. S., Naples. The music of three groundbreaking artists in country soul and pop — Kenny Rogers, Lionel Richie and Smokey Robinson — interpreted by The Undercovers. $50 at eventbrite. com
Live in Concert: Kansas
8 p.m. Jan. 25 at Seminole Casino Immokalee, 506 S. First St., Immokalee. American classic rockers Kansas (“Carry On Wayward Son,” “Dust in the Wind”) perform from their 16 albums. Gates open at 7 p.m. $120-$130. casino.hardrock.com
Melissa Etheridge
7 p.m. Jan. 26 at Artis—Naples, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., Naples. Known for her hits “I’m the Only One” and “Come to My Window,” Melissa Etheridge creates a highenergy show with her storytelling lyrics and passionate music. $109-$129. artisnaples.org or 239.597.1900
Naples Concert Band show 2 p.m. Jan. 26 at Cambier Park, 755 Eighth Ave S., Naples. Themed “Stars over Naples,” the Naples Concert Band, Music Director J. Steven Moore conducting, welcomes soprano Heather Ivy in a program that includes “Stardust,” “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Kentucky Sunrise” among others. Freewill offering. Bring seating. naplesconcertband.org
Art David’s meanderings with his camera led to sightings including this urban rider dog, one in his
“From the Street” exhibition at the Marco Island Center for the Arts. Photo by Art David
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SPORTS
Flag football championship adds to Immokalee’s trophies
Speaking of Sports
David Wasson
Champions walk among us — especially when we are in Immokalee.
This shouldn’t come as a huge surprise, of course. Immokalee has established quite the track record for developing champions. After all, Immokalee High School is one of only three area football programs (Naples and First Baptist Academy are the others) to win state championships.
But while the Indians hoisted the FHSAA’s Class 2A state title in 2004, there are current champions walking the halls at Immokalee High School that deserve just as much in the way of attention and accolades.
Immokalee’s Special Olympics Unified Flag Football team recently won the FHSAA Class 3A State championship — and captured its second straight Special Olympics Florida State Championship. The Indians defeated perennial powerhouse Miami Homestead 38-14, a victory made all the sweeter due to falling just short in last year’s title game via a last-second touchdown by Chiles High School.
The Indians’ state championship victory was even more impressive in that it came against Class 3A teams, a step up from the Class 2A teams Immokalee played against in 2023. Both journeys culminated in games at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in late November.
Coach Kathryn Doyle’s squad is made up of exceptional students, who come to athletics via remarkably different avenues. Some have more profound intellectual disabilities than others, but the athletes banded together the same way any other winning program does throughout any championship run.
In fact, Doyle’s team won not one but two championships in 2024.
Immokalee’s SOFL Unified flag football team also repeated as Special Olympics Florida State Champions — doing so even after moving up from Seniors Level, Division 3 to Seniors, Division 2. This level of competition is known as “Community League” and pits teams that
may or may not be affiliated with a particular school but may derive from a recreation center, church or community organization.
In a time that seems to be trending more exclusive in many ways, it is refreshing to see the growth of Unified Sports through the Special Olympics. Unified Sports joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team and was inspired by a simple principle: Training together and playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding.
According to the Special Olympics, Unified Sports teams are made up of people of similar age and ability — making practices more fun and games more challenging and exciting for all. And while it feels an awful lot like common sense, it bears repeating that having sport in common is just one more way for preconceptions and false ideas to be swept away.
For a wide variety of reasons
In a time that seems to be trending more exclusive in many ways, it is refreshing to see the growth of Unified Sports through the Special Olympics.
both understandable and quizzical, young people with disabilities do not often get a chance to play on their school sports teams. More and more states like Florida are adopting the Unified Sports approach that Special Olympics pioneered and champions.
Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools programming is in more than 8,300 schools such as Immokalee High School across the United States, with a goal of being in 10,000 schools in the near future. In Collier County alone, Community School of Naples, Gold-
en Gate High School, Gulf Coast High School, Lely High School and Palmetto Ridge High School join Immokalee in providing Unified Sports.
And quite frankly, it works — with everyone. Special Olympics trains and mobilizes youth leaders and educators to create more inclusive schools by including students with intellectual disabilities in all aspects of school life. Social inclusion is promoted by bringing together young people with and without ID on sports teams through inclusive student clubs, and by fostering
youth leadership.
Nationwide, as many as 19.5 million young people are taking part in these experiences, which increases acceptance of people of all abilities while simultaneously reducing stigma and bullying. Special Olympics partners not just with the FHSAA, but also with the NBA, Major League Soccer, UEFA, the NCAA and the NFHS to deliver the Unified message worldwide.
But don’t take my word for it. Take the word of the Immokalee Indians Unified Flag Football team. You’ll recognize those athletes in our community as the ones with a pair of gold medals around their necks who are proudly and rightfully known as state champions.
Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson airs weekdays from 3-5 p.m. on Southwest Florida’s Fox Sports Radio (105.9 FM in Collier County) and streaming on FoxSportsFM.com.
Special Olympics trains and mobilizes youth leaders and educators to create more inclusive schools by including students with intellectual disabilities in all aspects of school life
Photo provided
2025 OUTLOOK: THE ECONOMIC & MARKET IMPACT OF THE U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Join Tom Moran, Barron’s #1 Independent Advisor in Florida¹, to explore how the new administration may influence economic trends and your investments.
Friday, Jan. 17th, 12PM-2PM
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