Exotic African animal joins others at petting zoo.Young zebra added to nature center.
by Monique Green.
mgreen@news-press.com

A black-and-white beauty at the Shell Factory and Nature Park is just a little bit blue since she left her home. The 15-day-old zebra, named Princess, arrived Wednesday at the North Fort Myers nature center from an exotic farm in western Kentucky.

She spent the day prancing in the rain, but she cried periodically as she became accustomed to her new habitat at the petting farm. “She’s just a baby and has all these new smells and people around her,” said Nancy Mitchell, CEO of the Shell Factory. “And she just came from a long ride on a trailer, so she can get a little skittish and nervous. But she’s getting so much attention.”

Park attendants crowded around the mild-mannered zebra Wednesday afternoon to stroke her striped coat. Princess, who has a few front teeth, drinks warm milk formula now, but she will start her diet of alfalfa and grass in four weeks. She’s fed every six hours. Read the rest of this entry »

Uses recipes dating back to the 1830s.

By Terry Brady.tbrady@news-press.com

Rose Ann Heuglin takes pride in being old-fashioned. That’s why her fudge tastes so good. But she also takes pride in being cutting edge, which is why her flavors are a tough find anywhere else.

Heuglin, using recipes she said date back to the 1830s, has been making fudge from scratch since 1979 at Rosie’s Gourmet Fudge in the Shell Factory. She said her recipes from the 1830s came from an acquaintance of hers who lives in Michigan.

“The only difference how I make my fudge (from those who made fudge in the 1800s) is the utensils and the gas (burner used to heat the batter),” Heuglin said.

While the basic flavors are recipes that have been around for years, she uses the old-time cooking process when it comes to her gourmet recipes, which she created herself.

Most area candy stores carry about six flavors of fudge, but Heuglin’s store has as many as 30, many of which are her own recipes. Heuglin learned to cook fudge when she was hired at the shop, which she now owns. Read the rest of this entry »

Shell Factory puts on liquid fireworks show nightly in North Fort Myers.

By Andrea Stetson

Sometimes fireworks can be too loud for children who scream and cover their ears as the colorful blooms explode. But when the colors burst with only the soothing sound of water and music, the reaction is quite different.

In North Fort Myers the Shell Factory boasts its “liquid fireworks.” It has all the colors and a variety of patterns like typical fireworks without all the noise.

Waltzing Waters, the fireworks show made up of colorful dancing waters, is shown twice a night there in a man made lake. Families sit on two long rows of bleachers that line the north side of the lake.

As people arrive, dozens of large ducks entertain them by hopping on and off the wooden platforms that hold the fountains. But on cue, as the first notes of music begin, the ducks leap from the platform and scurry to the lake’s edge to avoid the bursts of water.

The show begins with some slow classical music. Then the fountains spring to life. There are swirls of red, green, blue, gold, purple and pink. The water forms arches, twists, and diagonal crosses. Sometimes it looks like a large oriental fan. Other times it towers into the sky. Read the rest of this entry »

The News-Press staff

A celebration of the release of the John Wayne postage stamp at The Shell Factory on Saturday will feature a Katherine Hepburn look-a-like contest as she appeared in “True Grit.”

He was born Marion Robert Morrison on May 26, 1907, in Winterset, Iowa. When his younger brother was born and named Robert, his middle name was changed to Michael.
He stood 6-foot-4 and wore a size 11 boot.

This information could be handy if you plan to enter the John Wayne trivia contest on Saturday, Sept. 25, at The Shell Factory.

The trivia contest is only one feature of the celebration for the release of the John Wayne postage stamp. Other events at The Shell Factory are a John Wayne movie marathon, a square-dance demonstration and country music as well as Wayne-impersonation contests. Read the rest of this entry »

The Shell Factory and Nature Park owner Tom Cronin showed Mona his best side Thursday morning and the groundhog didn’t even whistle.

Cronin, attired in top hat, tuxedo and shorts, lost his pants at 7:24 a.m. while emceeing the first Lee County Groundhog Day. The crowd roared and one spectator sized up the situation.

“You can’t see a groundhog’s shadow with the moon out,'’ hollered Brett Vogelbach of North Fort Myers. If Pennsylvanian groundhog Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow Feb. 2, it means six more weeks of winter. No doubt feeling a chill, Cronin resurrected his shorts, but Mona, a chubby 9-month-old gray groundhog sitting behind him, clearly wasn’t enamored by the glimpse.

“Groundhogs call their mates with a low whistle,'’ says Danika Fornear, Nature Park director.
Better luck next year, Tom. He took the snub in stride. Read the rest of this entry »

Exhibit will go on after prairie dog mix-up. By Terry Brady, News Press.tbrady@news-press.com

It’s here, and the celebration is on.

With a little more than 12 hours to spare before its inaugural Groundhog Day event, the Shell Factory and Nature Park welcomed the guest of honor — Mona the groundhog.

“She’s here. I kept my promise,” said Shell Factory volunteer Richard Dunmire, who donated more than $5,000 for a groundhog exhibit at the park. Around 5 p.m. Wednesday, the park heralded the arrival of the groundhog that could predict whether Lee County has another six weeks of winter.

The Shell Factory had been waiting for the animal for the past two weeks. “What a big relief,” said Dunmire who is from Punxsutawney, Pa., home of the original Groundhog Day celebration and Punxsutawney Phil.

Mona was delivered to North Fort Myers by Wildlife Wonders, an Atlanta-area zoo and rescue organization. The 9-month-old, 8-pound groundhog was named Mona after her scientific name Marmota monax, Wildlife Wonders employee Tom Bennett said. Read the rest of this entry »

The Shell Factory showcases all types.Special sauce: Bayou battle a big hit.

By Ralph N. Paulk.rpaulk@news-press.com

From one side of The Shell Factory to the other, the smell of gumbo filled the air Sunday afternoon.

The lines at the sixth annual Southwest Florida Gumbo Fest in North Fort Myers were long with hungry and curious gumbo aficionados.

While some simply tasted the varieties of gumbo, others devoured them. At the end, there wasn’t much left even to sample. Gumbo, a dish born in the Louisiana bayou, was a big hit.

For David Rabidoux of Cape Coral, the festival was more than about gumbo. “I think a festival like this gives people a chance to appreciate what a great place The Shell Factory is, too,” he said.

“It’s our first time out, and we’ll be back,” said his wife Angela Rabidoux. Gary and Nancy Hawald, snowbirds from Detroit, made the trip from North Port just to sample the gumbo. But Gary Hawald had more than gumbo on his mind. “I came to look at the motorcycles,” he said as he dug his spoon deep into his bowl. Read the rest of this entry »

By Terry Brady.tbrady@news-press.com

Since the 1800s, Groundhog Day has belonged to Punxsutawney, Pa., and its world-famous, weather-predicting groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil.
But it looks like Punxsutawney’s favorite rodent will have to share the spotlight now that The Shell Factory and Nature Park in North Fort Myers has a new groundhog exhibit to be christened with a Groundhog Day celebration on Feb. 2.

That’s what The Shell Factory volunteer Richard L. Dunmire, 73, is hoping for, anyway.
Dunmire, who as a boy growing up in Punxsutawney had a pet groundhog, donated more than $5,000 for the creation of the 20-by-21-foot habitat. The habitat will be the year-round home of three groundhogs — two of which Dunmire said are pregnant.

The groundhogs are scheduled to arrive at the park this week, in time to offer insight on winter’s end at the celebration.
“I think one day it might grow to be as popular as Punxsutawney’s,” he said of the celebration. “I want it to become a Lee County tradition.”
While The Shell Factory is preparing for about 500 people to attend the ceremony, it has a long way to go before it matches Punxsutawney’s thousands of spectators. Read the rest of this entry »

By Laura Ruane

North Fort Myers: Home of the Groundhog Winter Estates. What? You hadn’t heard?

The Shell Factory & Nature Park, a 68-year-old granddaddy of local tourist attractions, is going into the winter forecasting biz. And you can be part of it.

Vice President of Fun Stuff Pamela Cronin gave me the 411 on Monday. Seems her dad, longtime high school instructor and coach Richard Dunmire, was born and reared in Punxsutawney, Pa., home of that celebrity groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil.

Ever since the Shell Factory added a 3-acre animal park to its retailing and entertainment operations in 2001, “he’d say, ‘you ought to have a groundhog habitat,’ ” Cronin said. “Plus, they’re just kind of fun little critters.” Read the rest of this entry »

By Karen Feldman.kfeldman@news-press.com

Local muggles who can’t find their way to Platform 9Y´ - from which the train to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry departs - have an easy alternative: a trip to The Shell Factory.

The North Fort Myers tourist attraction, which has been around at least as long as Hogwarts, continues to enchant mere mortals with all sorts of spells and creatures.

One of the place’s big draws these days is the party room where anyone can change into the bespectacled young wizard and his pals for a day.
Simply rent the party room and tell them you want a Harry Potter party. Read the rest of this entry »