Bonita Springs Florida Central

Found Old Bonita Springs, By Surprise

A few weeks ago I stopped by a yard sale in the name streets of Bonita Springs.  The name streets are in Old Bonita Springs, as in where the older charming homes are with character.  The streets were all named after founding fathers and developers of our city.  Goodwin, Ragsdale, Horne, Heitman.  If we all knew back then how great it would be to live here we would have bought two homes, right?  Real estate was cheap and waterfront, river front or gulf access prices were a dream compared to now.

While rummaging through a table of stuff I found an old antique camera.  It was cute. I have a few old cameras and binocculars around the house. I have lots of old stuff around my house.  Well, would you be surprised to know that this old camera had film still inside?  What if I told you that I took it to a photo lab and had it extracted in a dark room and had it developed?  What if I told you there were antique images of Old Bonita Springs.  You know those old “back in the day” photos.

Imagine photos of bridges over Imperial River, old pick up trucks loaded with citrus on a one lane US 41 and women in one piece swimming suits that covered everything from their knees to their necks.  There might have even been a picture of an old Bonita Springs school.  Maybe it wasn’t so old back in the day.  Maybe it was the newest most modern thing and all the kids wanted to be there because it was the next best thing to sliced bread.

I bet the teachers wore dresses, Moms packed the lunches, naughty boys wore dunce hats and all the girls wore Mary Jane shoes.  Just imagine, there was no MTV, no iPods, no cell phones, people ate at home together around a big table and Mom was waiting at home for you after school.

This was back when old man Ragsdale bought Bonita Springs and decided to kick it up a notch by changing its name from Survey to Bonita Springs so the real estate would sell better.  Image, I could be sharing these stories with you from LifeInSurvey.com instead.  Bonita Springs Real Estate has a sweeter ring to it than Survey Real Estate, Ragsdale was right.  You should have bought some extra land while he was selling it because it was going to be in the best little town on the gulf coast and everyone would want to live here someday.

I wonder if he ever owned the land under Bonita Springs Elementary School…

Ah, the good old days.  I hope you enjoyed your trip down memory lane.  You can thank the trickery of the Picnic photo editor powered through www.Flickr.com.

Sorry for the tall tale, but it’s been a long week and I needed break from reality, too.

The Bonita Springs Elementary School is located on Dean Street in Old Bonita Springs, Florida.  Stop by and say hello to the old gal.  It is an old school just rehabbed a little.  Every grande dame feels better with a little make up on, right?

Taste of Bonita Festival | Things to Do in Bonita Springs

It’s that time of the year again.

The 15^th annual Taste of Bonita 2008 is back, and some of the area’s best restaurants are serving up their best once again.

The Taste of Bonita food festival will be held at Riverside Park on Nov. 16th. from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  Riverside Park is located on Old US 41 in Bonita Springs, Florida.  Dozens of Naples, Estero and Bonita Springs restaurants are scheduled to participate and an estimated 7,000 to 8,000 people are expected to attend.

The Taste of Bonita event is planned and headed up by Rotary of Bonita Springs noon.  The festival is a fund raiser for local charity programs.

Local restaurants will be participating in the Taste of Bonita event with most dishes and samples being offered priced under $5.00.  This is an excellent opportunity for local residents to sample the cuisine of locally owned restaurants and support the local businesses.

Admission to the Taste of Bonita is FREE.  Live music and entertainment will be on site, as well.

A map to the Taste of Bonita is located:  Map to Riverside Park

For restaurant list and contact phone numbers visit:  Taste of Bonita 2008

If you are reading this between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. anywhere in Southwest Florida, turn your computer off, slip on shoes and go outside. 

The weather has been outstanding for more than a few days and you are so missing it.  Shame on you. Enjoy your Sunday and don't forget SPF 15 at a minimum. 

This photo was taken yesterday from a canoe in the river.  You can read about the canoe adventure here:

Canoeing in Bonita Springs Forida

Here's the latest and greatest that's been happening around Bonita Springs, Florida this week. 

Stay tuned updates regarding the boat parade registration and the Taste of Bonita festival that will be held at Riverside Park on November 16th, 2008.  Questions about the Taste can be emailed to Chris@BonitaSpringsAgent.com I'll get your question to the committee.

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