🌱 Patch AM: How you can welcome 83 Southwest Florida veterans home Saturday

Good morning to you Fort Myers! Catch up on our news and events right here. Keep reading to stay in the know. ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

• How you can welcome 83 Southwest Florida veterans home Saturday
• Four generations of service lead one Fort Myers vet to DC
• How one Fort Myers veteran's musical talent changed his fate forever

Also on today's calendar: Free Bra Fittings to Support Breast Cancer Awareness and 9 more events.

Today's riddle: Why do Norway's navy ships all have barcodes? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

• Tuesday: Heavy thunderstorms, with a high of 88 and low of 75 degrees. 🌶 Hot!
• Wednesday: A shower and t-storm; humid, temps: high: 85, low: 75.
• Thursday: A shower and t-storm; humid, with a high of 86 and low of 74 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• 83 Southwest Florida veterans to receive Honor Flight homecoming Saturday (winknews.com) — Fort Myers residents can welcome home 83 Southwest Florida veterans this Saturday, Oct. 10, at Southwest Florida International Airport as part of Collier-Lee Honor Flight's Mission 30. The nonprofit will honor Korean, Vietnam, and World War II veterans with a free trip to Washington, D.C., funded entirely by donations and volunteers, with WINK News covering the celebration.
   

• Honor Flight Mission 30 takes Fort Myers veteran and his family's legacy to DC (winknews.com) — A Fort Myers veteran, Louie Grasso, is heading to Washington on Honor Flight Mission 30 this Saturday, representing four generations of family military service. With both daughters now retired from the Army and one serving as his guardian on the trip, the family's long commitment to service will be honored together in the nation's capital.
   

• Fort Myers vet Denny Black traded rifle for instrument during Vietnam era (winknews.com) — A Fort Myers-based Vietnam-era draftee, Denny Black, saw his Army path change completely when his musical training landed him in a band instead of combat. Now, nearly 60 years later, he still performs around Southwest Florida and will join Honor Flight Mission 30 this Saturday, reflecting on how one question reshaped his life and service.
   

📸 Around Fort Myers

Subscribe

Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!

🗓 Upcoming Events in Fort Myers

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

Wednesday October 14
• Free Bra Fittings to Support Breast Cancer Awareness →
  Dillard's, 4125 S Cleveland Ave, Fort Myers
  10:00 am
Thursday October 15
• Free Bra Fittings to Support Breast Cancer Awareness →
  Dillard's, 8017 Via Sardinia St, Estero
  10:00 am
Saturday October 24
• 2026 Annual Charity Fashion Show & Lunch →
  Palmetto Pine Country Club, 1940 SW 9th Ct, Cape Coral
  10:30 am

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

Wednesday October 7
• Lakes Park Farmers Market →
  Lakes Regional Park, 7330 Gladiolus Drive, Fort Myers
  9:00 am
Saturday October 10
• Partners Pink Run →
  Bell Tower, 13499 S Cleveland Ave, Fort Myers
  8:00 am
• Big Cypress Celebration →
  Burns Lake Campground, 18495 Burns Rd, Ochopee
  9:00 am
Monday October 12
• Goodwill Columbus Day Sale →
  4950 Challenger Blvd, Fort Myers
  9:00 am
Thursday October 15
• JWB Wine Experience: A Tour of Spain →
  JWB Grill, 1170 Estero Blvd, Fort Myers Beach
  6:30 pm
Sunday October 18
• Candlelight: Queen vs. The Beatles →
  The Naples Players at Sugden Community Theatre - and The Baker Day School of TNPA, 701 5th Ave S, Naples
  6:00 pm
• Candlelight: Coldplay & Imagine Dragons →
  The Naples Players at Sugden Community Theatre - and The Baker Day School of TNPA, 701 5th Ave S, Naples
  8:30 pm
Wednesday October 21
• Sips & Bites Free Tasting Event @ Grumpy Goat Coffee →
  Grumpy Goat Coffee Roastery, 28280 Old 41 Rd, Bonita Springs
  3:00 pm
Friday October 23
• Learning to Fly South at Bay Street Yard →
  Bay Street Yard, 2136 Bay St, Fort Myers
  6:00 pm

📣 Fort Myers Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

 

Thank you 👏👏👏 to these businesses for making Fort Myers PatchAM possible:

• Ridge Valley Exteriors — (239) 237-3717

Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• I've been trying to make my mornings a little more intentional lately.
  Tomorrow I'm planning to start with a good coffee, a workout, and some quiet time before getting into work. I used to rush through mornings, but I'm… (Nextdoor East Winkler Heights)
• REUNITED WITH OWNER*
  Is anybody missing a male German Shepherd in Port Charlotte or Punta Gorda, FL? please reach out to me (Nextdoor Marina Bay)

• HES Facilities Management posted a job opening for General Cleaner (Fort Myers) ALL SHIFTS in Fort Myers. Apply here.
• Wendy's posted a job opening for Hourly Shift Lead in Fort Myers. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Fort Myers here.

🗞 Nearby News

North Fort Myers

• Chattanooga chiropractor and man illegally in U.S. arrested in undercover minor solicitation bust (local3news.com)
• Chattanooga man charged with statutory rape after being found with missing Florida minor (local3news.com)

Cape Coral

• Former UFC champion closes Cape Coral restaurant (winknews.com)
• Best SW Florida reader photos include Cape Coral, Sanibel, Fort Myers (bradenton.com)
• Iraq war veteran sees his videos from combat deployment go viral on social media (kdhnews.com)

Ok Fort Myers! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: "Why do Norway's navy ships all have barcodes?" — So when they come back to port they can just scan-da-navi-an! (Thank you Jessica C. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

👉 Help make Patch AM better

• Help us grow by suggesting local news sources.
• Shape this newsletter with your feedback.
• List items for sale or services offered

We use a combination of real people and machines to tell you what's happening around town. Learn more about Patch AM.

Share to NextDoor     Share to Facebook