The Boca Grande Fire Department has recently put into service a new emergency vehicle called Utility-232. The utility vehicle is a Kubota RTV 900 all-terrain unit.

The unit was purchased on a grant from the Gulf Coast Community Foundation. The vehicle is equipped with a winch, scene and emergency lighting and is set up to transport patients and medical personnel.

The unit will provide access to provide transport of the sick and injured from the beaches and remote areas on the Island. They will also utilize it during special events.

BY LIZA STROUT - The Wednesday, March 6, meeting of the Boca Grande Garden Club was a busy one. First was the election of next year’s officers.

BY MARCY SHORTUSE - It might have been a bit chilly, windy and sometimes rainy, but the Save the Tarpon fundraiser held on Sunday, March 3 was a great success.

Calling all pooches and their owners ... if you have plans to enter the Boca Grande Woman’s Club Dog Show this year, you must have your entries in by Friday, March 15.

The Boca Grande Chorale is holding its annual Spring Concert on Saturday, March 23,  beginning promptly at 3 p.m., to be held at the Lighthouse United Methodist Church in Boca Grande.  

Polar bears in Boca Grande? Not this year, but the Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association will sponsor a lecture, “The Realities of Global Warming: A Look at Polar Bears” at the Community Center Auditorium on March 16 at 4 p.m.