A curated guide to Southwest Florida’s cultural calendar, spotlighting fashion exclusives, society gatherings and polished comedy productions from Naples to Fort Myers.
Perfect Pairings
Every marquee moment deserves its match—here’s where to sip and savor before or after the show.
Afternoon Tea: Before catching the 2 p.m. showing of Gulfshore Playhouse’s cheeky, London-set The Importance of Being Earnest on March 7, pop into Fifth Avenue’s charming, hidden treasure Brambles English Tea Room and Gift Shop for a gustatory trip across the pond. Pour and sip English Breakfast Black Tea from dainty tea sets and enjoy a slice of Brambles’ house-made quiche Lorraine.
Milk and Honey: On March 9, head to the Norris Center for the second-to-last screening of the Italian Cultural Society of Naples, Florida’s 2026 Italian Film Series screening, Nuovomondo (Golden Door) at 6:45 p.m. The 2006 historical romantic drama about Sicilian immigrants on a journey to America—the “land of milk and honey”—was originally introduced by Martin Scorsese and won six Venice Film Festival awards. Before the showing, dine at the recently opened Tulia Italian Steak, where authentic dishes from Sicily-born chef Vincenzo Betulia arrive alongside milk and honey- infused cocktails, like the Sogno d’Estate and Grappa Miele & Fico.
Words I Want to Hear: An adored singer-songwriter whose ballads transcend decades, Paul Anka returns to Fort Myers for a March 7 performance at Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall. Since the concert begins at 8 p.m., set the tone for your evening at the 2023-opened Jordan’s Wine Bar and Cellar, located 10 minutes away. In this intimate setting, where patrons bring their vinyl records to play on the turntable, indulge the way Paul does: with a glass of red and good company. And don’t forget your beloved Anka record for listening.
Photography by Anna Nguyen
march cultural guide things to do jordans wine bar and cellar
A spinning record and glass of red at Jordan’s Wine Bar and Cellar sets the tone for Paul Anka’s March 7 performance.
What’s Popping up on Third Street South
For three years, La Bonne Vie pop-ups on Naples’ Third Street South have elevated the wardrobes of Southwest Florida’s most in-the-know fashionmongers with surprising selects curated for Gulf style. Now back in full force, with an expanded model for 2026, La Bonne Vie debuts new styles from 10-year-old luxury Italian handbag retailer, Harper Lawrence, March 5 through 7.
What began as a handful of three-month pop-ups at Naples’ Camargo Courtyard Shops has grown to occupy two additional spaces in The Balcony Boutiques. “This year, we started earlier, and we’re running longer,” says La Bonne Vie fashion and retail consultant Erin Mullaney. Starting last fall, the Third Street South organizers launched three, roughly six-month pop-ups with returning favorites Ala Von Auersperg, Hill House Home and Addison Bay. Since February, those pop-ups have played host to bubbly and caviar-filled weekend trunk shows, with brands ranging from Respoke’s designer scarf loafers to MDVII Antique’s costume jewels.
Erin, who curates for the Ala Von Auersperg shop at Camargo, built out the season’s trunk shows to revolve around Ala’s colorful resortwear, working with designers on exclusive collections suited to local tastes. This month, we’ve got our eyes on Harper Lawrence. Started by a former Anne Klein executive and a Saks Fifth Avenue buyer, the handbag brand centers on enduring silhouettes and daily use.
Harper Lawrence works with a woman- owned, family-run leather goods manufacturer out of Florence to produce their designs, from the equestrian-inspired Mini Infinity bucket bag with signature hand-stitched detailing to slouchy suede satchels. Plus, the March trunk show brings the newly released Mini Grace and Mini Pochette microbags. “That’s what La Bonne Vie is all about,” Erin says. “We bring in the exclusive finds that fit into a Naples wardrobe while accenting each person’s unique personal style.”
Courtesy Harper Lawrence
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Page-Turning Pioneers
Curated and hosted by the Marco Island Historical Society and Historical Museum, Marco on the Move—running through March 21—reveals how transportation and a few key figures shaped life on Marco Island. Among them, a select few elected to tell their own stories; dive deeper with these local reads.
Alongside remnants from the original ferry landing and Atlantic Coast Line train, Marco Island Historical Society and Historical Museum’s interactive Marco on the Move exhibition shares the stories of names that have earned places in Gulf history: Kappy Kirk, Preston Sawyer and Thelma Heath. Though each served a different role in the community, all three Marco Islanders had one thing in common: literature written by or about them. Before or after visiting this new exhibition, running through March 21, uncover more of the island’s lore with these boundary- pushers’ stories found at the Historical Society’s research library.
The Caxambas Kid: The life & times of the famous fishing guide Preston Sawyer In 1901, when wilderness still governed most of the Gulf, Preston Sawyer let the water around the Ten Thousand Islands rule his life. Fishing, clam-digging and guiding made up his days, and when there was little food to go around for his family, he gave thanks to the Gulf for its shellfish and snook. Written by Maria Stone, a local teacher and historian, The Caxambas Kid (2000) centers on the life and tales of one of the region’s most influential charter fishing captains—a man who taught youth and adults how to cast, catch and reel in, and whose ocean-grown expertise shaped Southwest Florida angling culture.
Legends of Goodland: Interviews with Kappy Kirk & her friends Katherine ‘Kappy’ Kirk spent her entire life on the island. She served as its postmaster and lived in two of its most historically significant locales: Marco Lodge and the Heights Hotel. When local writer Elizabeth McDonald Perdichizzi started interviewing Kappy in 1993 for her next historical book, the author didn’t know it would turn into a love story between Goodland, Marco and Caxambas. As Elizabeth drove her through the streets, Kappy recounted stories of memories and people past—conversations that would underpin Legends of Goodland (2021). Now, the book serves as an open invitation, a warm embrace for longtime residents in search of nostalgia and newcomers filled with curiosity and wonder.
Island Voices: They Came to Marco Island: Kappy wasn’t Elizabeth’s only source for island lore. In chapter 16 of her other local history book, Island Voices: They Came to Marco Island (2006), the author records the words of longtime teacher and developer of Naples’ first three elementary libraries, Thelma Heath. Thelma and her husband, Frank, moved from Everglades City to Marco Island in 1936 after the Great Labor Day Hurricane, and went on to teach the island kids for 13 years. In this small corner of Florida, they resided in the Barfield home, a Caxambas boardinghouse for teachers. While her sister, Theoma Deml, was the photographer in the family, Thelma had a knack for the pen, going on to write her own memoir, titled Journeythrulife Written For My Family (1997). As the title suggests, she only wrote a few copies of the memoir, but the stories contained within help form the timeline for Marco on the Move.
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Courtesy Marco Island Historical Society
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Courtesy William Deml
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Kappy Kirk, Preston Sawyer and Thelma Heath (right) were foundational figures of Marco Island’s identity. Over the years, their stories have been recorded in novels and memoirs.
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Courtesy William Deml
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In her memoir, Thelma Heath writes about the Old Marco Lodge, which her Aunt Tommie owned and ran. It still stands today as the oldest functioning building in Goodland.
Inside the Fort Myers Symphonic Mastersingers’ Most Powerful Show to Date
Award-winning international composer Thomas LaVoy spent two years composing a 10-part libretto for a10-performance cantata by the Fort Myers Symphonic Mastersingers. His inspiration: the firsthand account of Union soldier and great-great-grandfather of the Mastersingers’ artistic director, Matthew Koller.
James Waxler joined the Union Army before reaching the age of 18, a naïve boy with a disposition for adventure. His regiment received its first assignment within a month: the Battle of Gettysburg. Over the following two years, James documented his experiences daily. Going in, he was an ambitious boy; by the war’s end, a wrecked man.
Years later, he’d transcribe his notes into a book of warning for his sons: Incidents of the War of the Rebellion (1888). The journal was passed down through the generations, landing in Fort Myers Symphonic Mastersingers’ artistic director Matthew Koller’s possession in the 1990s. For decades, he viewed the family artifact as something more than genealogy —he saw performance. Eventually he called on old friend, Westminster Choir College peer and composer Thomas LaVoy, to translate the text into a cantata. For months, Thomas spent his time immersed in Civil War research, cross-checking James’ dates, locations and recollections. Then, he supplemented the evolving cantata with poetry and music by Walt Whitman and formerly enslaved Black composers and their descendants—voices like Sawney Freeman, Robert Nathaniel Dett, and Wallace and Minerva Willis. The 10-movement piece took about two years to create, culminating in 90 minutes of spoken and sung history.
The world premiere performance of The Witness: Incidents of the War of the Rebellion takes place March 21 and 22 at Cape Coral’s Faith Presbyterian Church, combining the artistry of 125 Mastersingers members, a string quartet, a pianist and two soloists. One soloist is Matthew’s son and Westminster-trained tenor, Christian Koller, marking a continuation of the family legacy. The second is Tanisha Anderson, a three-time Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano from New York City. “The great thing about the whole process has been that I’ve known the book and stories in it for 20 years. Tom was looking at it with fresh eyes,” Matthew says. “For me, it’s been great diving into all these stories again and seeing how relevant they are today.”
Courtesy Matthew Koller