Joy ride: local execs get a Smart Car experience



What was to be an executive lunch meeting between the CEO of Charlotte County’s United Way and Florida Weekly turned into a joy ride when we accepted an invitation to experience the Smart Car during the recent Southwest Florida Green Futures Expo and Energy Options Conference at the Charlotte Harbor Event and Conference Center. We met up with marketing pros […]

Q&A with Terry Kovel

KOVELS: ANTIQUES & COLLECTING

Q: I bought an album of Victorian calling cards at a flea market. I would like to know more about the history and tradition of calling cards. A: Long before people sent “friend requests” on Facebook, social contacts were made by leaving a calling card or visiting card at the home of the person you wanted to visit. Visiting cards […]

This week on WGCU TV



. THURSDAY, DEC. 2, 8 P.M. Daniel O’Donnell: Hope and Praise This uplifting concert includes multidenominational hymns, up-tempo gospel and pop songs performed by a 24-member young adult choir, a children’s choir, an orchestra, Mr. O’Donnell’s band, and accompanied by Mary Duff. . FRIDAY, DEC. 3, 8:30 P.M. Untold Stories. Illuminating Tradition: Edison Festival of Lights The Edison Festival of […]

Vince & Amy

couple sings holiday favorites

BING CROSBY. JOHNNY MATHIS. THE RAY Conniff Singers. Some performers you just naturally associate with Christmas because their songs are classics. Add husband-and-wife superstars Vince Gill and Amy Grant to the list. Mr. Gill is hard pressed to say just how many Christmas albums the two have recorded, both individually and with other artists. “Amy’s had such a great history […]

Holiday ships set to sail into Charlotte Harbor



The Lighted Boat Parade on Charlotte Harbor is now in its 21st year. A project of the Punta Gorda Chamber of Commerce, the annual happening features prominently in the lineup of holiday happenings around Charlotte Harbor. The parade sets sail at about 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4, and organizers strongly suggest viewers study the route map and select the best […]

‘Arena Legacy: The Heritage of American Rodeo’

BEACH READING

By Richard C. Rattenbury, Ed Muno photography (University of Oklahoma Press, $65) The first recorded rodeo competition in America took place in 1869 in Sterling, Colo. From that modest beginning, rodeo has become a nationally recognized sport that reflects the rugged individualism and competitive spirit of the American West. The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City has […]

Here’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ that tugs the heartstrings just right

ARTS COMMENTARY

Sheesh! Does Charles Dickens know how to tug on heartstrings or what? The man plucks at emotions like an old jazzman hunched over an upright bass. In “A Christmas Carol,” Mr. Dickens not only gives us a story of astounding repentance, but throws in a cute little boy as well who’s irrepressibly good-natured, despite the fact that he’s handicapped and […]

Giving is a natural extension of the holidays



Now that it is officially the holiday season, please continue to support the local charitable organizations that serve so many in our community. While it’s important to give year round, it becomes even more important during the holidays. And giving can be easy. Everyone has spare change as they shop. Drop it in one of the red kettles you see […]

HOROSCOPES



¦ SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Taking on that recent challenge impressed a lot of important decision-makers. Meanwhile, proceed with your holiday plans, and don’t forget to include you-know-who in them. ¦ CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Disagreeing with an opinion you can’t accept could be dicey, and your motives might be questioned. Best to wait to mount […]

‘127 Hours ’



You’ve likely heard the expression “between a rock and a hard place,” but you’ve probably never thought about it the way it happens in “127 Hours.” Or maybe you have: The film is based on the real experiences of outdoorsman and survival guide Aron Ralston, here played with Oscar-worthy grit and smarts by James Franco. In April 2003, after hanging […]