BY MARCY SHORTUSE - One little spit of land, stretching four blocks in length. Gilchrist Avenue has caused a whole lot of controversy lately, and many are confused as to just what the fuss is all about.

The breakdown: There are two plans floating around, and one of them might be picked as the winner. How much parking, what type of parking, and landscaping are the issues being discussed.

BY MARCY SHORTUSE - Gibbs Tolsdorf, the son of Boots and Dick Tolsdorf, is on top of the world. The goal this avid bicycle rider has had for the last few months has been to win a Michelin Pro4 bicycle for the Cadence Foundation in Philadelphia. He entered a contest last summer, as we reported in the Beacon, and waited for the votes to be tallied. Many island residents and his biking friends returned to the site again and again, voting for Gibbs all the way.

BY LIZA STROUT - A curious mix of Scottish Wolfhound, Dalmatian and an unknown form of shepherd, Easy was once a favorite of the Seventh Street dog park and owned human Dick Robb for a time. These days, Easy lives in North Carolina, with Reka Korrosy.

One day this winter, Easy became a true hero.

It was a fun-filled week of Earth Day activities for The Island School kids.

One day the kids split into groups to cover cleaning up the grounds of the Boca Grande Community Center and the beach, one day they held a peaceful Earth Day demonstration through town ... they even ate dirt and worms for dessert at the after-school program!

On Monday, April 22 island residents filled the Boca Grande Community Center auditorium and donned some pretty funky glasses to view a presentation by Bob Zeller called “The Civil War in 3-D.” Zeller is the president of the Center for Civil War Photography, and is one of the country’s leading authorities on the imagery of the Civil War. It was part of Civil War Reflections week, sponsored by the Friends of the Boca Grande Community Center.

To the Editor:

A “Bon Voyage” progress report for my many island community friends. It is a bit long, my apologies.