How do you know it’s fall in Florida? The license plates change color, not the leaves. That’s just how life is down here: hot falls, perfect winters, steamy springs, and summers you wouldn’t believe unless you’ve lived through them.
The weather feels like late summer, but it’s football season, and the Lemon Bay High School Manta Rays are all in. These students haul themselves out of bed at 5:45 a.m. practices, pouring their hearts into building a team our whole Englewood community can cheer for. Go Manta Rays!
This issue packs in captivating stories, as always. With Pioneer Days 2026 behind us, let’s shine a light on Kim Parks. She’s the Membership Coordinator for the Englewood Chamber, and she’s everywhere. Ribbon-cuttings, grand openings, community events, you name it, Kim’s right in the middle of things, always sporting that big, unforgettable smile. You have to think of the Mary Tyler Moore theme: “Who can turn the world on with her smile?” That’s Kim to a tee. And since the Chamber never stops, neither does she.
Rita Bertler’s story stands out, too. She founded Dollars for Mammograms because the fight for early detection hit close to home. This group offers free breast cancer screenings for uninsured and underinsured folks in Charlotte County and South Sarasota County, including Nokomis. We caught up with Rita, plus Kathleen Callahan from Xpertech, to talk about their plans. The first Trailblazer 5K, on October 24, is right around the corner, uniting Dollars for Mammograms and the Englewood YMCA in their mission to keep our town healthy. Circle October 7th for The Pink Luncheon; you don’t want to miss it.
We also want to take a moment to honor and celebrate the life of Thomas “Tom” Dignam, whom we lost on September 18, 2026, at 84 years old. A true Englewood original: lifelong resident, business owner, community leader, devoted husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and loyal friend. Tom poured his soul into this place for nearly eighty years, and you felt his presence in everything that shaped Englewood. We honor Tom and Annette, his beloved wife. Read more about his remarkable life in our latest edition.
With fall settling in, despite our tropical Florida seasons, we are a community that honors the cycles and beauty of nature. This season always reminds me of Bhuwan Thapaliya’s words: “Autumn is a quiet lesson in surrender: the trees let go of their leaves, embracing change with grace, and in their fall, they teach us how to meet the coming cold without resistance.”
