Jena Sullivan of Edward Jones was recently installed on the Board of Directors for the Lady Lake Area Chamber of Commerce. President, Jeanne Lazo is pictured handing her the lanyard all board members receive. Jena will be filling a seat on the board after a recent vacancy.

Pictured left to right at the November Lady Lake Chamber referral Luncheon. Jeanne Lazo, Leslie DiCesare & Janet Fraley. These ladies who are in charge of the LL Chamber Luncheon. Thank Ladies!

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LADY LAKE – The Lady Lake Town Commission unanimously approved a deal that would assist the Lady Lake Police Department to reach full staffing capacity and make it the highest paid department in Lake County. The new contract with the Florida Police Benevolent Association, the union representing the department, offers a 30% raise across the board and a starting salary of $62,000 per year.

“The recruitment of qualified and dedicated officers has been a challenge for police departments nationwide,” said Police Chief Steve Hunt. “We are grateful to the Town Commission for their unwavering support of the Lady Lake Police Department and for a community that wholeheartedly backs the blue.” Continue reading →

Coping with Dementia LLC and the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office have announced that Jesse James Allen will be the keynote speaker for the day-long conference on dementia that will take place at the Savannah Center in The Villages on October 30, 2023.

Allen is an international award-winning multimedia creator whose work has included music, art, photography, video games, public speaking, and museum and theme park development.  At the beginning of 2021, Allen stepped away from his career to become a fulltime care partner for his late father who had been diagnosed with dementia.  It was an exhausting task further complicated by the COVID pandemic.

The Lady Lake Farmers and Crafts Market is held every Tuesday from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. through the spring at the Rolling Acres Sports Complex, located at 260 Rolling Acres Road. The location features ample parking and is accessible from The Villages via golf cart and motorized wheelchair.

The market features all your favorite vendors selling locally grown fruits and vegetables, pasta, fresh bread, honey, flowers, art, crafts and more! We are seeking quality vendors selling homemade items for the 2023/2024 season. Complete a vendor application online at Farmers and Crafts Market – Lady Lake and email it to market@ladylake.org.

Elisha Pappacoda Communications Director Town of Lady Lake.

The Quilting Guild of The Villages, composed of 24 chapters with more than 1,200 members, is currently making fidget mats that will be given away at the Coping with Dementia Conference at the Savannah Center at 1545 North Buena Vista Blvd. in The Villages on October 30, 2023.

A fidget mat – sometimes called a “sensory blanket” – is a lap quilt, usually the dimensions of an oversized placemat, that features a wide array of colors, textures, and interesting objects to keep hands busy.  They stimulate manual sensory activities for elderly people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia while providing comfort, entertainment, and enjoyment.  They can also keep an elderly person from picking at their skin.

The conference is being organized by Coping with Dementia LLC in partnership with the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, and is expected to draw more than 400 attendees for a day of educational discussion and events designed to make life better for individual and families living with dementia.   Continue reading →

Detectives assigned to the Lake County Sheriff’s Cyber Crimes Unit recently concluded a 4-day operation targeting subjects online attempting to meet children for sexual activity. The investigation, dubbed Operation: Nightcrawler, was conducted October 4-7 and resulted in five arrests for various sex-related crimes.

After unknowingly talking online with an undercover detective, the subjects traveled to a predetermined location with the intent to have sex with a child. All suspects were taken into custody upon arrival.  This operation would not have been possible without the cooperation and support from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, as well as the Clermont, Tavares, Eustis, Leesburg, Mount Dora, and Altamonte Springs Police Departments.  Continue reading →