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Useppa Fire and Rescue Record Breaking Fund Raiser 2024 Part I – Thoughts by Useppa Fire and Rescue Chief Marc Mascarelli, Pictures by UseppaGin – Thank you all to the residents and guests who attended our 2024 Fire Department Fundraiser. It was a huge success. Over $200,000 was raised. The funds will support our new ALS vehicle and station remodel/expansion. The Fire Board, Administration, and Staff are greatly thankful of the generosity, support, and appreciation we receive daily serving our residents and visitors here on Useppa Island

St. Patrick’s Day Useppa Style – Thoughts and Pictures by UseppaGin – In decorated golf carts, families and friends parade up and down the beach. Applause and laughter from onlookers, delicious food, and kegs of beer for all. Bless us and save us. Saint Patrick’s Day on Useppa is a tradition on Useppa everyone loves. Thank you to those who make it happen. Congratulations to all!!!!

Cotton Club Magic – Pictures and Thoughts by UseppaGin – The Cotton Club on Useppa… a night of dancing, a shrimp boil, laughter, and fellowship under the stars. Thank you to our hosts for the beautiful waterside venue below an ancient Calusa Indian mound. Thank you to Deb and the Dynamics for the great music. We are already looking forward to next year!

UYC Stocker Club Races, Museum Fashion Show & More – Thoughts and Pictures by UseppaGin – Races on a Saturday morning, a Fashion Show at the Barbara Sumwalt Museum, friends and family together again on Useppa… life on the island is a gift never to be taken for granted.

Time to Come Back – Thoughts and Pictures by UseppaGin – Lunch is served on the patio, Happy Hours are held at the Collier Bar, sailing races and Bill’s Grille are Saturday traditions, the Butterfly Garden hosts winged and walking friends. Finally, after Hurricane Ian’s devastation, life on Useppa is returning to normal! Come on back!!!!!

Finally…The Collier Reopens – Thoughts and Pictures by UseppaGin – Useppa is still recovering from Hurricane Ian striking the island in September 2022. But…. the good news is that the Collier Inn has finally reopened. Valentine’s Day was celebrated with Useppa friends and family. Two days later Islanders gathered again for Happy Hour drinks and dinners. Useppa feels like home again.

February Fun on Useppa – Thoughts and Pictures by UseppaGin – Boats in the Marina, volunteers in the Butterfly Garden, sailors in the 2nd Useppa Yacht Club 2024 Regatta, a speaker at the Museum, and fun in the pool… February on Useppa Island. Families and friends arrived by boat for the weekend. Old and new sailors raced and enjoyed Bill’s Grille on the beach. Betty Jean Steinshouer spoke at the Barbara Sumwalt Museum about environmental changes in Florida, and the roles of Marjorie Stoneman Douglas and Rachel Carson in protecting and preserving the place we love. Butterfly Garden and Paradise Partnership volunteers were the boots on the ground taking care of Useppa gardens. Chess games, bocce, and time at the pool rounded out the fun of early Useppa winter.

UYC’s First Sail of 2024 – Thoughts and Pictures by UseppaGin – Four Catboats took to sail in the Useppa Yacht Club’s first race of 2024. Instead of competition it was more a teaching experience with new sailors learning the rules, experiencing the fun, then gathering for lunch at Bill’s Grille. Sailing is an island tradition passed down from old to new UYC members. All members are welcome on the water and for table fellowship. (An uninvited guest crashed the party but left before being properly introduced. The incident is under investigation. See his pictures.)

Happy Hours on Useppa – Pictures and Thoughts by UseppaGin – In the Tarpon, on the water, in the Orchid Brigade, at a 93rd birthday lunch, friendship and fellowship define life on Useppa. The island is a gift we all share.

25 Years of Weird Florida – Thoughts and Pictures by UseppaGin – …. Useppa Islanders gathered on January 6th for the first 2024 program of the Barbara Sumwalt Museum 25 Years of Weird Florida. Eliot Kleinberg’s 1st book Weird Florida started it all in 1998 with tales of cows in the Intracoastal Waterway, haunted airlines, celebrity sex scandals, and more… stories of Florida shocked and amused. Kleinberg challenged “Is Florida one of the weirdest places on earth?” His second volume in 2006 Weird Florida II: In a State of Shock continued the scandalizing sagas. In a night at the Museum, Useppans loved hearing them all. What does that say about us?