{"id":111080,"date":"2026-01-08T23:53:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T23:53:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/111080\/"},"modified":"2026-01-08T23:53:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T23:53:10","slug":"ding-darling-winter-lecture-series-opens-jan-22","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/111080\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cDing\u201d Darling Winter Lecture Series opens Jan. 22"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Tony Lapi. -COURTESY PHOTO<\/p>\n

The 21st annual \u201cDing\u201d Darling Winter Lecture Series opens Thursday, Jan. 22, with Tony Lapi, longtime innkeeper at the historic Tween Waters Inn & Marina on Captiva Island, speaking about famous guests like \u201cDing\u201d Darling and Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, plus other anecdotes from his book\u00a0\u201cTales of an Island Innkeeper\u201d.\u00a0He will deliver two lectures at the open-air The Roost at the \u201cDing\u201d Darling Visitor & Education Center on Sanibel Island: one at 10 a.m. and the other at 1 p.m.\n<\/p>\n

In his memoir, Lapi reflects on his 48-year Tween Waters journey, weaving the history of Sanibel and Captiva islands with his stories of memorable guests, employees, and incidents at the inn. First serving as general manager, then president and CEO, and now as chairman of the board, Lapi has seen the inn\u2019s evolution firsthand.\n<\/p>\n

Bank of the Islands sponsors Lapi\u2019s lecture.\n<\/p>\n

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Tales of an Island Innkeeper. -COURTESY PHOTO<\/p>\n

\u201cDing\u201d Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge (DDWS) co-hosts the eight-part lecture series with J.N. \u201cDing\u201d Darling National Wildlife Refuge and through financial support from sponsors. Sponsorships are still available for the lectures. Contact Jeff Decker at\u00a0Jeff@dingdarlingsociety.org<\/a>\u00a0or 310-612-4373 for more information. Partial sponsorships begin at $1,000; full sponsorships are $5,000.\n<\/p>\n

See the complete calendar of the season\u2019s lectures below and at\u00a0dingdarlingsociety.org\/lecture-series<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n

Note: Opinions expressed in guest lectures do not necessarily reflect the views of the refuge and DDWS management, staff, and board of directors.\n<\/p>\n

While the refuge auditorium is undergoing renovations, all 2026 lectures will take place in The Roost outdoor pavilion. Seating is limited on a first-come basis. Guests are welcome to bring their own lawn chairs to ensure a seat. Most of the open-air seating is under cover; however, DDWS suggests sunhats, sunscreen, bug spray, and outdoor attire.\n<\/p>\n

Starred (*) lectures indicate those with book-signings following the lecture.\n<\/p>\n

*Jan. 22 \u2013 Author Tony Lapi, \u201cTales of an Island Innkeeper\u201d \u2013 Sponsor: Bank of the Islands.
\n*Jan. 29 \u2013 Conservation Author\/Photographer Kirsten Hines, Birds of Florida \u2013 Sponsor: Friends of the Refuge.
\n*Feb 19 \u2013 Wildlife Ambassador, Author, and Photographer Ron Magill, \u201cThe Pride of a Lion: What the Animal Kingdom Can Teach Us About Survival, Fear and Family (A True Animal Survival Story)\u201d \u2014 Sponsors: Hightower Advisors, Fort Myers.
\n*March 5 \u2013 Sanibel Author Jeri Magg, \u201cThe Remarkable Women of Sanibel & Captiva\u201d \u2013 Sponsors:\u00a0\u00a0Peter B. Griffin and Joanne S. Griffin.
\n*March 26 \u2013 Author\/Photographer Paul Bannick, \u201cWoodpecker: A Year in the Life of North American Woodpeckers\u201d \u2013 Sponsors: Hank & Linda Spire.
\nApril 2 \u2013 Beekeepers Association of Southwest Florida, \u201cLive Hive & Taste: Observing Live Bees with Honey-Tasting\u201d \u2013 Sponsor \u2013 Friends of the Refuge.
\n*April 9 \u2013 Author\/Conservationist Tina Morris, \u201cReturn to the Sky: The Surprising Story of How One Woman and Seven Eaglets Helped Restore the Bald Eagle.\u201d
\n*April 16 \u2013 Sanibel Author Charles Sobczak, \u201cThe Living Gulf Coast: A Nature Guide to Southwest Florida\u201d \u2014 Sponsor: Hightower Advisors, Fort Myers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tony Lapi. -COURTESY PHOTO The 21st annual \u201cDing\u201d Darling Winter Lecture Series opens Thursday, Jan. 22, with Tony…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":111081,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210],"class_list":{"0":"post-111080","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cape-coral","8":"tag-cape-coral","9":"tag-cape-coral-headlines","10":"tag-cape-coral-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111080","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111080"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111080\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/111081"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111080"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=111080"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=111080"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}