Gulfport Chef's Table dining event is our community at its finest in so many ways

One thing we noticed in the great story by Lynn Taylor in The Gabber: wonderful community involvement. First of all, the happy fellow in the photo is Phil Rivenbark, head chef at Isabelle's, a fine restaurant in The Historic Peninsula Inn in Gulfport. Phil buys locally. He gets fresh veggies from Gulfport Produce and fish from Gulf Coast Seafood. Buying locally is such an important part of a vibrant community.

But there's more: Phil is joining with eight other Gulfport restaurants for a special event on Monday, October 3. Gulfport Chef's Table is a fine dining experience that will be staged along Beach Boulevard. Here's the thing: it's an event to help raise money for Community Action Stops Abuse (CASA), an organization that provides shelter and help for victims of domestic violence, a worthwhile cause indeed.

And then there's this: Veronica Champion became the owner of The Historic Peninsula Inn earlier this year and is settling in as a booster of the Gulfport community, not only in joining the team that put together the first Gulfport Chef's Table but also in noting the truth that Gulfport is a gastronome's paradise. She told The Gabber: "Someone could come to Gulfport seven days a week and not have the same experience because there is such a variety of wonderful restaurants.”

How delightful to be part of such a fine community.

But for a timely rescue, this unique mural of Tierra Verde history might have been lost

 On New Year's Day in 1962, Guy Lombardo's Port O' Call Resort opened in Tierra Verde, and for a few years big-name stars performed in the nightclub. At any given time you might have seen Mel Torme, Liberace, or Frank Sinatra. Almost two decades later artist Carolyn Jackson Gruber was commissioned to paint a magnificent mural depicting not only the Lombardo era but all of the history of the island community. For years, the mural hung in the lobby of the Tierra Verde Resort and Marina, which is what Port O' Call became. Fast-forward to 2007, when the resort was being torn down and the painting was nearly lost. Debbie Wolfe has the remarkable story of its rescue, plus word on where you can view this amazing piece in person, in The Gabber.

Alan Landers, 9: A young man doing good for others in his community. Thank you!

Here's a youngster doing good in the community. He's only 9 but he has been at it for four years. His name is Alan Landers and that's him in the yellow shirt surrounded by folks who participated in a bowling fundraiser on Patriot Sunday at Ten Pin Lanes in Pasadena. The event was to raise money for the Honor Flight project that sends military veterans to the nation's capital to see the memorials for the wars in which they served.

Alan's quest began as a community service assignment from his teacher. You can get all the details in this terrific story in The Gabber. By the way, you should know that there's more to come from this young man. He's planning another fundraiser for the same Honor Flight project. It's a Superhero Fun Run on Saturday, October 8. Click the link for all the details.